Disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein was ousted Saturday from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the organization behind the annual Oscars awards ceremony, as the once-powerful Hollywood producer continues to come under fire for a wave of newly surfaced allegations of sexual harassment and assault.
Disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein was ousted Saturday from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the organization behind the annual Oscars awards ceremony, as the once-powerful Hollywood producer continues to come under fire for a wave of newly surfaced allegations of sexual harassment and assault.
The group’s board of governors met to discuss the allegations Saturday and “voted well in excess of its required two-thirds majority to immediately expel him from the Academy,” it said in a statement.
“We do so not simply to separate from someone who does not merit the respect of his colleagues but also to send a message that the era of willful ignorance and shameful complicity in sexually predatory behavior and workplace harassment in our industry is over. What’s at issue her is a deeply troubling problem that has no place in our society,” the statement said.
The Academy ’s board of governors consists of 54 distinguished cinematographers, producers, actors, directors and other Hollywood dignitaries such as Whoopi Goldberg, Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, among others, including 21 women and several performers who have appeared in Mr. Weinstein ’s movies.
“The Board continues to work to establish ethical standards of conduct that all Academy members will be expected to exemplify,” the statement said.
Mr. Weinstein ’s ousting from the Academy is the latest consequence of explosive recent news reports alleging decades of sexual assault and other misconduct waged by several high-profile Hollywood actresses.
The New York Times first reported on Oct. 5 that Mr. Weinstein, the 65-year-old co-founder of The Weinstein Company and Miramax production studios, settled with at least eight woman over the years in order to resolve numerous allegations, triggering nearly universal condemnation directed towards previously one of Hollywood’s most important men. He was subsequently fired from The Weinstein Company’s board of directors last week and is currently the subject of multiple law enforcement investigations in the U. S. and abroad.
Mr. Weinstein did not immediately comment publicly on the Academy ’s decision Saturday.
