Do we like Woody Allen?
Our score: 4 out of 10. Nothing harmful found in his own words, but an unresolved abuse allegation, little good deed on record in what we read, and thin searching on his views.
Allen is still working. His 51st film, provisionally titled Wasp 2026, started shooting on 5 October in Madrid and Aranjuez, a roughly six-week shoot across more than 30 locations on a budget of about €12 million.
The shadow over his career is Dylan Farrow's allegation that he sexually abused her as a child. She made it public in a 2014 open letter and described it in a 2018 CBS interview. Allen has denied it, has never been charged with a crime, and says investigations a quarter of a century ago found no molestation. No court has ruled on it, so it stays an allegation and a flat disagreement.
On the harm test, we found nothing from Allen aimed at LGBTQ+ people, migrants, public health or the planet. That search was thin, so call it an honest gap rather than a clean bill. His #MeToo comments are the sticking point: he said he is “a big advocate” of the movement, then argued he should be its “poster boy” because no actress he has worked with has accused him. Many will find that tone-deaf.
In December 2025, House Oversight Democrats released Epstein estate photos, and one shows Epstein with Allen and an unidentified woman. The reporting we read says none of the photos appear to depict incriminating conduct, and a manager for Allen did not respond to requests for comment. It is a bad look in the circles he moves in, not evidence of anything.
The Madrid film is partly bankrolled by sponsorship contracts from the city council and the regional government, which cover about a quarter of the budget and require Madrid in the title. Euronews reported no specific criticism of the funding, but it tied his return to renewed attention on the allegation. Allen declined to comment on Madrid's housing protests and said he has never seen himself as a political filmmaker.
On the good side, we found no charity work or acts of kindness at a cost to himself in what we read, so that column is empty for now. A decent record on the pages we saw, but no real standout good either.