How Will the Academy Handle Harvey Weinstein’s Sexual Assault Allegations?

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Board of Governors calls emergency meeting.

October 12, 2017 8:52 am
Harvey Weinstein
Harvey Weinstein in Tribeca on March 7, 2017 in New York City. (Alo Ceballos/GC Images)
GC Images

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences released a statement about the sexual assault and sexual harassment allegations against Harvey Weinstein. The statement said that the allegations are “repugnant, abhorrent, and antithetical to the high standards of the Academy and the creative community it represents,” reports Variety

The organization will hold a special meeting of the Academy’s Board of Governors on Sunday, Oct. 14, to discuss the allegations and “any actions warranted by the Academy,” according to Variety. The Academy annually hosts the Oscars ceremony.

The British Academy, meanwhile, suspended Weinstein “indefinitely.” According to Variety, the organization also said that they consider “the reported alleged behavior completely unacceptable and incompatible with BAFTA’s values.”

Weinstein’s films have been Oscar nominees and winners for years, starting with My Left Foot back in 1989. Variety reports that he himself has been nominated for best picture twice.

The New York Times released an investigative piece detailing three decades of sexual harassment allegations against Weinstein. The article revealed settlements with at least eight women, including actress Rose McGowan, reports Variety, and Weinstein was forced out of his own company on Sunday.

Then on Tuesday, The New Yorker released another report about sexual assault allegations towards Weinstein, reports Variety. Later that day, more actresses, including Angelina Jolie and Gwyneth Paltrow, said that Weinstein had sexually harassed them. Oscar winners Meryl Streep and George Clooney, among other A-list stars, have publicly condemned Weinstein.

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