John Oliver slams the Academy for kicking Harvey Weinstein out, but giving Casey Affleck an Oscar
This time, however, he also took aim at The Academy of Motion Pictures, which kicked Weinstein out over the weekend, declaring "the era of willful ignorance and shameful complicity in sexually predatory behavior and workplace harassment in our industry is over."
While Oliver agreed with the Academy's decision to kick Weinstein out, he said it's also hypocritical considering who's still in the Academy.
Weinstein is only the second person ever kicked out of the Academy. The first was actor and "The Godfather" star Carmine Caridi, who was kicked out for sharing screeners.
"Yes, finally the group that counts among its current members Roman Polanski, Bill Cosby, and Mel Gibson had found the one guy who treated women badly and kicked him out," Oliver said sarcastically. "So, congratulations, Hollywood. See you at the next Oscars where - and this is true - Casey Affleck will be presenting Best Actress."
Here's a quick summary of the accusations against the Academy members Oliver pointed to:
- Director Roman Polanski ("Chinatown," "The Pianist") fled the United States after he was convicted of statutory rape, on the day before his sentencing in 1978. As a French citizen, he is protected from extradition and has lived mostly in France ever since. His charges are still pending in the US.
- Comedian Bill Cosby has been accused by more than 60 women of rape, drug facilitated sexual assault, sexual battery, child sexual abuse, or sexual misconduct, with the incidents allegedly starting in the mid-60s.
- Actor and director Mel Gibson made anti-Semitic comments, revealed in a 2006 arrest report, such as, "The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world."
- Casey Affleck, who won the Oscar for best actor for his work in "Manchester by the Sea" in 2017, has been accused of sexual harassment by two employees on the set of "I'm Still Here" in 2010. One of the women alleged that Affleck crawled into bed with her without her consent while she was asleep. The other woman alleged that Affleck pressured her to stay in his hotel room and "violently" grabbed her arm when she refused. Affleck has denied the accusations. The claims were settled out of court.
It is worth noting that Oliver did not mention director Woody Allen, who's been accused of sexually abusing his adopted daughter Dylan Farrow (he's denied the accusations). Allen is not in the Academy.