Ronan Farrow blasts his book publisher's 'lack of ethics and compassion' over Woody Allen memoir

Ronan Farrow.
(Image credit: Mike Pont/Getty Images for Peabod)

Ronan Farrow is cutting ties with his book publisher over its plans to release a new memoir by Woody Allen.

Hachette Book Group, which published Farrow's Catch and Kill last year, is set to release the Allen memoir Apropos of Nothing through its imprint Grand Central Publishing. Farrow, Allen's son, in a statement this week said he learned about this only through press reports. Allen's adoptive daughter, Dylan Farrow, has accused Allen of molesting her when she was a child, and Ronan Farrow has supported his sister. Allen has denied the allegation.

In a statement, Ronan Farrow slammed Hachette for having "concealed" its decision to publish Apropos of Nothing from him while he was working on Catch and Kill, which was published by Hachette's imprint Little, Brown and Company. Farrow also said his sister was never contacted about the book, per The Washington Post.

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“It's wildly unprofessional in multiple obvious directions for Hachette to behave this way," Farrow wrote. "But it also shows a lack of ethics and compassion for victims of sexual abuse, regardless of any personal connection or breach of trust here."

Farrow, who in 2017 reported on sexual abuse allegations against Harvey Weinstein and detailed his investigation in Catch and Kill, concluded that he can no longer work with Hachette "in good conscience." Dylan Farrow previously weighed in on the Allen book, blasting Hachette for its "utter betrayal of my brother whose brave reporting, capitalized on by Hachette, gave voice to numerous survivors of sexual assault by powerful men."

Apropos of Nothing, which is described as featuring Allen's writing on his "relationships with family, friends, and the loves of his life," is set for release on April 7.

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Brendan Morrow

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.