Update: Following an internal investigation, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences determined "no further action was merited" following a complaint of sexual harassment lodged against Academy president, John Bailey.
Update: The Academy president, John Bailey, has released his first statement about the sexual harassment accustations levied agains him. In a memo obtained by Vanity Fair that he told the Academy staff, "There was a single named complaint regarding an allegation dating back more than a decade ago in which I am alleged to have to attempted to touch a woman inappropriately while we were both riding in a transport van on a movie set. That did not happen."
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Bailey goes on to complain that the media has framed it as being multiple accusations, which he says is not true, and takes issue with the accustations becoming public at all which is against the Academy's confidential review process.
Update, March 16, 2018: The Academy has released a statement stressing confidentiality during the investigation process.
"The Academy treats any complaints confidentially to protect all parties," it reads. "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."
Original story published below at 4 p.m.
John Bailey, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences president, is under investigation for sexual harassment, according to Variety. The outlet reports that three claims of sexual harassment were filed against Bailey on Wednesday, March 14, and an investigation was immediately opened. The details of the claims are unknown.
This news comes after an award season reeling from the upheaval in Hollywood following initial accusations of sexual misconduct against producer Harvey Weinstein. Over 40 prominent men in the entertainment and media industry have been taken down by accusations of sexual harassment and abuse during the past few months as women have come forward in waves as part of the #MeToo movement, opening up about their experiences with harassment and assault that had previously been swept under the rug.
Despite this, however, the 2018 Oscars wasn't quite as triumphant in the face of this reckoning as many had hoped. An accused rapist and an accused abuser each took the stage to accept awards during the ceremony, and while there was a moment dedicated to the movement during the broadcast, attendees opted out of the all-black dress code that kicked off at the Golden Globes, and the red carpet continued to not ask enough questions about #MeToo. It's hard to not see the Oscars in a different light following these new accusations against the Academy president.
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While Bailey's tenure saw a new code of conduct following the expulsion of Harvey Weinstein, it wasn't entirely without controversy. He succeeded Cheryl Boone Isaacs as president, and did not react well to being asked about the optics of white man taking over the Academy.
"What you just said is bullshit," he reported told Variety. "I was born a white man, and I can’t help it that I’m 75 years old. Is this some sort of limiting factor?"
Refinery29 has reached out to the Academy for comment.