the industry

Academy President John Bailey Subject of Sexual-Harassment Probe

John Bailey. Photo: Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences president John Bailey is the subject of a sexual-harassment probe. Per Variety, the Academy received three allegations on Wednesday and immediately opened an inquiry. The report did not detail the allegations. Bailey, a longtime cinematographer (The Big Chill, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants) was elected president of Academy last summer. He replaced Cheryl Boone Isaacs, besting casting director David Rubin and actress Laura Dern in a surprise victory. According to Variety, if Bailey steps down before the end of his four-year term, he would be replaced by makeup artist Lois Burwell, the Academy’s vice-president.

The investigation into Bailey’s conduct comes as the Academy faces a reckoning in the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements. In October, the Academy voted to expel Harvey Weinstein after New Yorker and New York Times articles exposed a history of alleged sexual assaults. In December, the Academy released a standard of conduct for members.

Academy President Subject of Sexual-Harassment Probe