The president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which awards the Oscars, is reportedly under investigation for sexual harassment.
John Bailey, a veteran cinematographer who heads the film industry’s trade group, is facing three harassment allegations, Variety reported on Friday.
In a brief statement issued hours later, which did not name the president, the academy said it treated all complaints confidentially to protect all parties.
“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.”
Representatives for Bailey did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
An investigation of Bailey will intensify scrutiny of the academy and its response to the wave of sexual misconduct allegations roiling Hollywood.
The 90th Oscars held earlier this month turned into a platform for the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements, which seek greater diversity, inclusion and accountability in the film industry and in wider society.
Bailey, 75, who shot films such as The Big Chill, Ordinary People and Groundhog Day, was elected to head the academy last August, three months before reports about Harvey Weinstein’s alleged predations triggered a cascade of revelations and allegations about sexual misconduct by other powerful men.
Variety reported that the academy, which has a staff of 350 people, opened an investigation on Wednesday upon receiving the complaints.
Bailey did not give the traditional president’s speech at the Oscars, saying it would slow down a ceremony which many consider overlong.
The host, Jimmy Kimmel, set the #MeToo tone of the event by joking that the Oscar statue set an example for Hollywood: “He keeps his hands where you can see them, never says a rude word, and literally doesn’t have a penis.”
Once a cosy club tasked with hosting a night of glamour and self-congratulation, the academy has in recent years been buffeted by cultural currents, amplified by social media, demanding an end to discrimination against women and people of colour.
The group’s expulsion of Weinstein lat October elicited praise but also questions why other figures such as the director Roman Polanski, who sexually assaulted a 13-year-old girl in 1977, were still members.
In the academy election Bailey defeated the actor Laura Dern to head the group. If forced to step aside he would be temporarily replaced by the vice-president, Lois Burwell, a veteran makeup artist.
