Gary Oldman's best actor Oscar win sparked an online backlash due to a previous allegation of domestic violence against him

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• Best actor winner Gary Oldman is receiving some backlash online for his Oscar win due to a years-old allegation of domestic violence.
• In 2001, Oldman's ex-wife accused him of beating her with a telephone in front of their children.
• Some people are not happy Oldman won the Oscar, especially considering previous frontrunner James Franco wasn't nominated after allegations of inappropriate behavior toward women surfaced against him.  
• Last year's best actor winner Casey Affleck has been accused sexual harassment as well. 

Actor Gary Oldman received applause Sunday night when he won the best actor Oscar for his performance as Winston Churchill in "Darkest Hour." But he's facing a backlash online due to a years-old allegation of domestic violence. 

In 2001, a report in The New York Daily News detailed Oldman's alleged domestic abuse against his (now) ex-wife, Donya Fiorentino. The report was published on September 11, 2001, and the allegation did not circulate widely. But it has come back to the forefront as a result of the #MeToo movement and Oldman's Oscar nomination and win. 

Oldman's ex-wife alleged to the L.A. Superior Court that he choked her and hit her "in the face with the telephone receiver three or four times." She also said he did this in front of their children.

In 2001, Oldman's manager told the Daily News that Fiorentino's claims were "completely investigated by police and the district attorney's offices. No charges were ever filed." And Oldman said she was lying, according to the Daily News.

Oldman has since remarried twice. He's currently married to Gisele Schmidt, who he wed in 2017. His first marriage of five was to 2018 best supporting actress nominee Lesley Manville, and his second was to actress Uma Thurman.

Fiorentino's account saw a bit of increased traction this awards season, but Oldman was nominated and won the Oscar despite being up against some tough competition, including Timothée Chalamet's performance in "Call Me by Your Name."

But after he accepted the award Sunday night, many online spoke out against Oldman's Oscar win:

It's especially interesting that Goldman won best actor considering James Franco didn't get an expected nomination for "The Disaster Artist" after allegations of inappropriate behavior toward women surfaced in January (before voting for the Oscar nominees closed). The allegation against Oldman also heavily contrasted with the themes throughout the ceremony, which focused on supporting women in the industry, #MeToo, Time's Up, and diversity. 

Several anonymous Academy voters told Vulture they didn't vote for Franco because of his alleged behavior, yet Oldman prevailed.

Last year, Casey Affleck, who was accused of sexual harassment on his 2010 film "I'm Still Here," won best actor for his role in "Manchester by the Sea." He did not present the best actress Oscar this year, breaking with tradition.