Harvey Weintsein at the White House in November 2013 (Getty Images)

After an avalanche of accounts from women who said that Harvey Weinstein sexually harassed or assaulted them, former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama released a statement about the once powerful movie producer, expressing their disgust.

“Michelle and I have been disgusted by the recent reports about Harvey Weinstein. Any man who demeans and degrades women in such fashion needs to be condemned and held accountable, regardless of wealth or status. We should celebrate the courage of women who have come forward to tell these painful stories. And we all need to build a culture—including by empowering our girls and teaching our boys decency and respect—so we can make such behaviors less prevalent in the future,” the Obamas’ statement read.

On October 5, a bombshell report from the NY Times detailed “decades of sexual harassment allegations” against the Oscar-winning producer behind Pulp Fiction, Good Will Hunting, Shakespeare in Love, Inglourious Basterds, and Silver Linings Playbook. While Weinstein both admitted past bad behavior and accused the Times of “reckless reporting,” more women have been coming forward to detail their experiences: Actresses Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie say they were harassed and Asia Argento said that he raped her at the Cannes Film Festival, while employees or aspiring actresses also recounted disturbing incidents. Weinstein was fired from The Weinstein Company on Sunday.

Weinstein had appeared at a White House “Careers in Film” symposium in 2013, with the former first lady introducing him in glowing terms: “I want to start by thanking Harvey Weinstein for organizing this amazing day. Harvey. This is possible because of Harvey. He is a wonderful human being, a good friend and just a powerhouse. And the fact that he and his team took the time to make this happen for all of you should say something not about me or about this place, but about you. Everybody—we are here because of you.”