Less than two weeks after the 2018 Oscars aired, reports surfaced that the president of the Academy is being investigated over allegations of sexual harassment. Variety broke the news on Friday, March 16 that there are three separate harassment claims against John Bailey, who’s been in charge of the Academy for Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences since last August. (Bustle reached out to Bailey’s rep for comment, but did not receive an immediate response.)
While the exact nature of the allegations has not been made public as of yet, the Academy released the following statement to Bustle:
“The Academy treats any complaints confidentially to protect all parties. The Membership Committee reviews all complaints brought against Academy members according to our Standards of Conduct process, and after completing reviews, reports to the Board of Governors. We will not comment further on such matters until the full review is completed.”
For those unfamiliar with Bailey, he has more than 80 cinematography credits to his name on IMDb. He’s worked on major films, including Groundhog Day and In The Line of Fire. He also worked on early ’00s movies, such as The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days. Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images It’s also during Bailey’s time as Academy president that the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements began to take off. After Harvey Weinstein faced multiple allegations of sexual assault and harassment, the Academy voted Weinstein out by a majority vote in October. (Weinstein has denied all allegations of non-consensual sex.) At the time, the Academy released the following statement to Huffington Post: “The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Board of Governors met today to discuss the allegations against Harvey Weinstein, and has voted well in excess of the required two-thirds majority to immediately expel him from the Academy.
In addition to the Academy swiftly removing Weinstein, the 2018 Oscar ceremony included a Time’s Up video during the March 4 ceremony. Ashley Judd, Salma Hayek, and Annabella Sciorra introduced the powerful footage about “new voices.” On stage, Judd said, “The changes we are witnessing are being driven by the powerful sound of new voices, of different voices, of our voices. Joining together in a mighty chorus that is finally saying, ‘Time’s up.”” [embedded content] ABC Television Network on YouTube On Jan. 1, 2018, the Time’s Up movement launched, bringing together more than 300 women in the entertainment industry to call for change and set up a legal defense fund to support women and men across all industries. As the official website states, “The clock has run out on sexual assault, harassment and inequality in the workplace. It’s time to do something about it.” According to Deadline, the Academy introduced a new Standards of Conduct initiative (which was linked to in their statement about the Bailey allegations) back in January as well. These guidelines on the Academy website state: “Academy membership is a privilege offered to only a select few within the global community of filmmakers. In addition to achieving excellence in the field of motion picture arts and sciences, members must also behave ethically by upholding the Academy’s values of respect for human dignity, inclusion, and a supportive environment that fosters creativity. The Academy asks that members embrace their responsibility to affirm these principles and act when these principles are violated.”
The Standards of Conduct continue, “There is no place in the Academy for people who abuse their status, power or influence in a manner that violates recognized standards of decency. The Academy is categorically opposed to any form of abuse, harassment or discrimination on the basis of gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, disability, age, religion, or nationality.” The Academy’s site also notes that “the Board of Governors may take any disciplinary action” if someone violates the standards, and that action may include being suspended or expelled. Bailey has yet to comment on the allegations, and until the Academy’s investigation is complete, it remains unclear what will happen next. If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, call the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 800-656-HOPE (4673) or visit online.rainn.org. Let’s block ads! (Why?)