Asia Argento removed as 'The X Factor Italy' judge following sexual assault allegations

Another actor-activist Rose McGowan said her friendship with Argento will not prevent her from advocating for victims

Italian actor and a prominent #MeToo leader, Asia Argento, who has been accused of sexual assault against musician Jimmy Bennett, will no longer be a part of the judging panel of the 12th season of the show X Factor Italy.

According to sources, Argento has been expelled from the show amid the allegations that she has settled the accusation with Bennett for a sum of $380,000, and now the live portion of the show will officially begin with a new judge, reports Variety.

Audiences will still see her on the first seven episodes of the show which have already been shot. These include initial auditions to pick competitors for the show's 12 final spots.

Italian actress Asia Argento -- shown during the closing ceremony of the Cannes Film Festival in May -- paid $380,000 to a man who claims she sexually assaulted him when he was 17, The New York Times reportedPHOTO: AFP

Following the allegations against Argento of sexual abuse, television network companies Sky Italia and FremantleMedia had issued a statement saying that if the accusations were true, they "would have no choice but to take note of it and put an end to the collaboration".

The new judge will be announced on September 5 during the X Factor press conference in Milan.

The show's broadcaster and producers have not commented anything on Argento's expulsion yet.

Another actor-activist Rose McGowan, in a statement following sexual assault allegations waged against Argento, said her friendship with the her will not prevent her from advocating for victims.

PHOTO: THE NEW YORK TIMES

McGowan released a lengthy statement on Monday, detailing how she discovered that Argento had reportedly paid off actor Jimmy Bennett, who claims the actor, then 37, assaulted him when he was 17.

McGowan says her partner, Rain Dove, told her that Argento admitted to sleeping with Bennett.

Argento also allegedly told Dove that she had been receiving "unsolicited" nude photos of Bennett since he was 12 years old, but had not taken action to stop Bennett from sending more.

The #MeToo movement pioneer said she is not "affiliated with this incident or being complicit" about the New York Times expose which claimed that Argento reached a $380,000 settlement with Bennett late last year, months after Argento - like McGowan - came forward with allegations of rape against Harvey Weinstein.

PHOTO: CNN

She said her friendship with Argento will not prevent her from advocating for victims like Bennett.

"It's sad to lose a friend connection, but whats even more sad is what happened to Jimmy Bennet. Whether or not the extortion case is true- it wasna¿t fair and it wasn't right. It is the type of thing I fight against alongside so many.

"There absolutely should be no leeway or tolerance for sexual assault," McGowan said.

In a plea to Argento to simply "do the right thing", she said: "Be the person you wish Harvey could have been."

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