In a striking contrast that defies the quiet retirement most crave in old age, 90-year-old Woody Allen—exiled from Hollywood amid enduring scandals—has emerged unflinchingly candid in recent interviews, dismissing cancel culture as “dumb,” expressing no regrets over his past friendship with Jeffrey Epstein (calling him “charming and personable”), and shrugging off decades of allegations with cold detachment, all while planning yet another film. As he marks his milestone birthday, Allen’s rare, unapologetic reflections highlight the industry’s long silence on its own hypocrisies and complicity—from turning a blind eye to powerful figures to shunning him without trial. Once celebrated for masterpieces like Annie Hall, he’s now a marginalized voice speaking truths many in the elite circles he once inhabited prefer unspoken. But with fresh funding secured for a new project, Allen remains defiant. Will his unflagging candor finally shatter Hollywood’s facade—or deepen the divide?
In a striking contrast to the quiet retirement most envision in old age, 90-year-old Woody Allen—long exiled from Hollywood amid enduring scandals—has resurfaced with unflinching candor in recent interviews. Dismissing cancel culture as “dumb,” expressing no regrets over his past friendship with Jeffrey Epstein (whom he called “charming and personable”), and shrugging off decades-old allegations with cold detachment, Allen remains unapologetic while planning yet another film.
Marking his milestone birthday on December 1, 2025, Allen has been unusually open in a series of rare interviews, coinciding with the release of his debut novel, What’s With Baum?, and mourning the recent death of longtime friend Diane Keaton. Newly surfaced photos from Jeffrey Epstein’s estate, released by House Democrats in December 2025, show Allen dining intimately with the disgraced financier and even visiting a film set—images that underscore their closer ties than previously acknowledged.
Allen has stood by his association, describing Epstein as someone who “couldn’t have been nicer” and hosted fascinating dinners with illustrious guests like scientists and Nobel laureates. He and wife Soon-Yi Previn were regulars at Epstein’s Upper East Side townhouse, with Allen once jokingly likening the home to “Castle Dracula” in a 2016 birthday letter, noting “young women” in attendance. Despite Epstein’s convictions, Allen insists he never witnessed anything untoward.
On cancel culture, which has seen stars and studios shun him since renewed focus on allegations by adopted daughter Dylan Farrow (vehemently denied by Allen), he called it “just dumb” and “silly” in 2025 interviews. He expressed no anger toward former collaborators who distanced themselves, viewing their choices as a “mistake” but remaining indifferent.
Once Hollywood’s celebrated auteur behind Oscar-winning masterpieces like Annie Hall, Allen now operates from the margins, filming primarily in Europe. Yet defiance endures: he recently secured €1.5 million in regional funding from Madrid for a new project, tentatively titled with “Madrid” per contractual requirements, potentially his 51st film.
Allen’s reflections expose Hollywood’s long silence on its own hypocrisies—from selective outrage over powerful figures’ associations to complicity in overlooking controversies. As a marginalized voice from elite circles he once dominated, he speaks uncomfortable truths many prefer unspoken: presumptions often eclipse facts, and moral reckonings can be uneven.
With fresh funding and ongoing creativity, Allen shows no signs of retreat. Will his unflagging candor finally shatter the industry’s facade of selective accountability—or merely widen the divide between his unrepentant perspective and a Hollywood that has largely moved on? At 90, Allen seems unbothered either way, focused simply on the next project.
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