John Oliver calls out Academy for expelling Weinstein but not Polanski, Cosby, or Casey Affleck
'See you at the next Oscars where - and this is true - Casey Affleck will be presenting Best Actress'
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Your support makes all the difference.The Academy certainly found its fair share of praise after expelling member Harvey Weinstein from its ranks, but there's a hypocrisy here that many were swift to point out.
Among them, Last Week Tonight host John Oliver, who noted: "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 them out."
"So, congratulations, Hollywood. See you at the next Oscars where - and this is true - Casey Affleck will be presenting Best Actress." Last year's Oscars were riddled with controversy after Affleck picked up the Best Actor award for Manchester By the Sea, amidst the resurfacing of two sexual harassment allegations from 2010.
Oliver's comments formed part of a segment examining the level of complicity from those around Weinstein in protecting him and his actions. "It's not just his behaviour that was troubling, it's the way that people around him excused it," he said.
This included a clip played of actress Angie Everhart, who told TMZ that the producer had entered her yacht cabin during the Venice Film Festival while she was sleeping and masturbated in front of her. "I told people on the boat, I told people at the dinner I was at, and everybody was like, 'Oh, that’s just Harvey,'" Everhart added.
"What the f*ck?!" Oliver responded. "So everyone knew, and they just went with it: ‘Oh yeah, Harvey’s going to burst into your room and masturbate. That’s just Harvey'. He’s like sex-criminal version of the Kool-Aid Man."
More than 30 women have come forward since The New York Times' explosive article disclosed accusations ranging from sexual harassment to rape, including Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie, Rose McGowan, and Asia Argento.
The host also touched on those who initially tried to defend Weinstein; director Oliver Stone's first response was "it's not easy what he's going through", while designer and longtime friend Donna Karan appeared to blame the victims with a statement which included, "How do we display ourselves... are we asking for it?"
"Excuse me? One, that is absolutely appalling, and two, how would Donna Karan know how women are dressing right now? It’s not 1993," Oliver joked. Both Stone and Karan have since apologised for their reactions.
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