The journalist named Beck eventually caved under the pressure of the court's intimidation and a behind-the-scenes financial settlement, revealing the mastermind who had instructed him to frame Ethan.
As Ethan had expected, it was none other than the Weinstein brothers.
They had always harbored deep resentment toward Ethan, believing that he had orchestrated a series of events that led to Harvey being sent to prison.
Though they had no concrete evidence, some things didn't require proof. After all, following the downfall of the Weinstein Company, Ethan's Bernay's Company was thriving.
Upon learning this, Ethan immediately leaked the information and used his media influence to smear Bob Weinstein.
They had no evidence of Ethan boarding Epstein's yacht, but Ethan had solid proof of them doing so.
As a result, Bob Weinstein quickly became the first confirmed name on the list. When the public found out, they were furious. They had already thought Harvey was scum, but it turned out his brother was no better.
Soon, the outrage spread to the Weinstein Company, forcing Bob Weinstein to announce his resignation and retreat into the background.
As for what exactly he did on the island, he vehemently denied any wrongdoing.
In situations like this, the best strategy was to stall for time.
Amidst the heated public discourse, the 2016 Oscar nominations were announced.
Unfortunately, as soon as the list was released, it was met with heavy criticism from the Black community.
"This year's Oscars didn't nominate a single Black actor in any of the acting categories. This is absolutely terrible. The Oscars have become a white man's club."
A female Twitter user vented her frustration with this complaint, adding a hashtag: #OscarsSoWhite.
She thought it was just a personal rant that wouldn't gain much attention. But unexpectedly, the hashtag exploded.
A large number of Black users rallied behind it, launching a full-on attack against the Oscars and its predominantly white, elderly voters.
"Hollywood loves making sequels, so they just did it again this year."
"The Oscars are packed with old white men—disgusting!"
"Even if you cut the Academy's voting body in half, the remaining members would still be white."
"I think white people are the biggest obstacle to the Oscars moving forward. We need a diverse world!"
These criticisms flooded Twitter, and the uproar became so intense that even the Academy couldn't ignore it.
Soon, the Oscars responded with an official statement, promising that by 2020, the number of women and minority voters would double.
However, this statement was little more than an empty promise, and the backlash from the Black community remained relentless.
At the same time, numerous celebrities and directors were questioned by reporters about their thoughts on the #OscarsSoWhite movement.
Jada Pinkett Smith publicly stated that while the Oscars had the right to give awards to whomever they deemed worthy, people of color were "a dignified community" and didn't need to "beg for recognition." She declared that she would neither attend nor watch the Oscars that year.
Her stance prompted her husband, Will Smith, to also announce his boycott of the ceremony.
Many other Black celebrities were bombarded with questions about the #OscarsSoWhite controversy.
For instance, Will Smith's friend, Marlon Wayans, complained during an appearance on The Daily Show: "Stop asking me about #OscarsSoWhite! Everywhere I go, people keep bringing it up—it's driving me crazy."
Then, he jokingly added, "You have to understand how fiercely Black women defend their men. The moment Jada saw that Will wasn't nominated, she was furious and immediately called for a boycott. That left Will with no choice but to follow suit."
Privately, Will Smith confided in Ethan, admitting that he actually hadn't wanted to boycott the Oscars outright, as doing so would only make it harder for him to win in the future.
But he had no choice—since his wife was leading the charge, he had to support her feelings.
Aside from Black celebrities, other prominent figures also joined the boycott, including veteran filmmaker Spike Lee and actor Mark Ruffalo—the latter of whom soon reversed his decision and announced he would attend after all.
Meanwhile, several white figures faced intense backlash for their comments.
Charlotte Rampling claimed that the boycott was a form of discrimination against white people, which enraged the Black community. The backlash was so severe that she reportedly withdrew into seclusion, drowning her sorrows in alcohol and partying for three consecutive days.
Michael Caine, the highly respected veteran actor, remarked that people shouldn't vote for someone just because they were Black—actors needed to deliver strong performances first and foremost.
His words were not incorrect, but his timing was terrible.
As a result, the Black community blasted him, accusing him of defending white supremacy and undermining Black talent.
Then there was Julie Delpy, who made the foolish claim that women in Hollywood had it even harder than Black people.
This immediately provoked a massive wave of data-driven counterattacks. Many Black critics compiled statistics showing the number of women who had won Oscars across various categories, completely dismantling her argument.
Finally, they delivered the ultimate blow: "You didn't win an Oscar for Best Actress not because of discrimination, but simply because you're not good enough."
This statement clearly hit a nerve. Ethan later heard that Julie Delpy was so furious that she ended up getting into a fight with her own dog that day.
Of course, Ethan himself was also repeatedly asked about the controversy.
But he had a simple and effective response: "Hollywood's first superhero film starring a Black lead was written and directed by me."
That one sentence shut down all arguments.
Moreover, his next film also featured a Black protagonist. Accusing Ethan of racial discrimination was completely baseless.
Amidst all this chaos, the Oscars proceeded as scheduled.
Meanwhile, Ethan had already submitted Nightcrawler to Cannes and several other mid-tier film festivals.
The timing was perfect—if he wanted to win another Oscar, he needed the right circumstances. Now, the moment had arrived.
The only remaining variable was the competition in 2017.
But Ethan wasn't worried. He had already made his move in advance by investing in Moonlight and securing its distribution rights.
This wasn't difficult for him—Moonlight's production team was struggling financially and couldn't resist the temptation of Ethan's financial backing.
As a result, both of the strongest contenders for the next Oscars were now under Norton's Eye.
Ethan planned to release Moonlight the following year to compete with The Shape of Water for Best Picture.
With all these preparations in place, Ethan instructed Bernay's Company to begin their awards campaign.
However, as diversity became an increasing priority, Oscar campaigns were becoming more challenging, since those advocating for inclusivity were often unpredictable.
In the coming years, the dominance of political correctness would make Oscar lobbying even more difficult.
That's why Ethan had already started looking beyond the U.S., considering expanding his business internationally to help foreign films win Oscars.