No Oscars for Cosby

ACADEMY: TV STAR AND FILM DIRECTOR POLANSKI EXPELLED FOR SEX CRIMES

Stars violated a conduct code academy adopted last year.

Los Angeles

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences expelled television’s Bill Cosby and Oscar-winning director Roman Polanski amid sexual misconduct Hollywood.

Cosby and Polanski are the first known members expelled for violating a conduct code the academy adopted in December, following intense public pressure from hundreds of accusations of sexual harassment or assault in the entertainment industry.

The academy said in a statement its board of governors voted to remove Cosby and Polanski, who had been members since 1996 allegations roiling and 1969, respectively.

“The board continues to encourage ethical standards that require members to uphold the academy’s values of respect for human dignity,” the body, whose 8 000 members vote on the Oscars, said in the statement.

The expulsion comes as the entertainment industry grapples with misconduct allegations that have led to dozens of politicians, businesspeople and entertainers stepping down or being dropped from creative projects, sparking the #MeToo social movement and the Time’s Up campaign against workplace harassment and equal pay.

Cosby, 80, who was known as “America’s Dad” for his role on popular ’80s TV comedy The Cosby Show, was convicted last week of drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand in 2004. He faces up to 30 years in prison, but his attorney has vowed to appeal the conviction. – Reuters