Celebrity News

Hilary Swank dumped by PR firm over Chechnya scandal

LOS ANGELES — Oscar-winning actress Hilary Swank has been dropped by her publicity team following her appearance at a birthday party for Chechen president Ramzan Kadyrov last month.

The “Million Dollar Baby” star was dumped by 42West after apparently disagreeing with the firm over how to handle the fallout from her paid appearance to honor Kadyrov, who has been accused of the murders of his political rivals and human rights violations, according to a source cited by Entertainment Weekly.

Swank, who claimed at the Oct. 5 event that she had researched the president before attending, later said she was not aware of the accusations against the president and apologized for her part in the celebrations, promising to donate her fee to charity.

She released a statement saying, “If I had a full understanding of what this event was apparently intended to be, I would never have gone.”

Earlier this week, it was reported that she fired her manager of eight years, Jason Weinberg, and two of his associates at the Creative Artists Agency for allowing her to attend the event.

However, she did not sever ties with her lawyer, Jeff Bernstein, who reportedly played a significant role in the Chechnya visit.