Hollywood loves to declare progress. After #MeToo, studios promised transparency, accountability, and an end to the contracts that kept abuse hidden. Lawmakers passed reforms. Press releases followed. The industry congratulated itself.
Behind closed doors, nothing fundamental changed.
Nondisclosure agreements didn’t disappear.
They evolved.
WHAT ACTUALLY CHANGED — AND WHAT DIDN’T
In 2022, the federal Speak Out Act limited the use of NDAs before sexual assault or harassment occurs. California and New York passed similar laws. On paper, it looked like a reckoning.
In practice, Hollywood adapted instantly.
NDAs signed after abuse is alleged remain legal. Confidential settlements are still standard. Forced arbitration still dominates. Mutual non-disparagement clauses still threaten financial penalties for speaking publicly.
The silence didn’t end.
It was rerouted.
THE WEINSTEIN LESSON HOLLYWOOD LEARNED
The Harvey Weinstein scandal didn’t just expose abuse. It exposed how NDAs and confidential settlements hid patterns for decades. Accusers were paid quietly. Records were sealed. Careers continued uninterrupted.
Hollywood didn’t abandon that playbook.
It studied it.
The lesson wasn’t “never do this again.”
The lesson was “never let it explode like that again.”
QUIET SETTLEMENTS, QUIET CONTINUITY
When NBC fired Matt Lauer, the network framed it as decisive action. Years later, reporting revealed an NDA-bound settlement that kept details hidden while the company moved on. New York Times
At CBS, following the removal of Les Moonves, public reforms were announced. Behind the scenes, confidential settlements and NDAs remained standard practice. New York Times
These weren’t mistakes.
They were containment strategies.
ARBITRATION IS THE NEW NDA
When NDAs face scrutiny, studios rely on forced arbitration. Cases stay out of court. Evidence stays sealed. Patterns never surface. Each complaint appears isolated, even when dozens exist.
For workers, arbitration is not neutral.
It overwhelmingly favors employers with money, legal teams, and time.
For studios, it’s perfect.
No headlines. No discovery. No accountability.
AI CONTRACTS AND A NEW KIND OF SILENCE
In 2023 and 2024, performers began raising alarms about AI likeness agreements. Contracts included sweeping confidentiality clauses restricting actors from discussing how their faces, voices, and bodies were scanned, stored, reused, or monetized.
Studios called it “protecting proprietary technology.”
Actors called it what it was:
a gag order wrapped in innovation.
THE TRUTH HOLLYWOOD WON’T SAY OUT LOUD
NDAs are no longer blunt instruments.
They are precision tools.
They don’t stop scandals entirely.
They stop them from becoming undeniable.
The reckoning didn’t end the system.
It taught it how to hide better.