Oscars Academy expels Bill Cosby and Roman Polanski over sexual assault convictions
Disgraced comedian Bill Cosby and Roman Polaski have been expelled and are no longer part of one of Hollywood's most prestigious and important organizations.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Board of Governors met on Tuesday night (May 1) and has voted to expel actor Bill Cosby and director Roman Polanski from its membership in accordance with the organization's Standards of Conduct as reported in an official statement. The Board continues to encourage ethical standards that require members to uphold the Academy’s values of respect for human dignity.
Cosby was found guilty last week on three counts of aggravated incident assault. Cosby was a longtime member of the Academy for his work in films but he never won an Oscar. He has even starred in many movies including, "Jack," "The Meteor Man" and "Fat Albert."
Producer Harvey Weinstein was expelled from the Academy in October after allegations of sexual misconduct and the group received a lot of criticism from some in the industry for not taking the same course of action with Polanski. There has been no additional information released regarding either expulsion.
Members of the American Advertising Federation also known as AFF is a trade organization that recognizes professional achievements in the advertising industry and has unanimously agreed to rescind Cosby's induction into the Advertising Hall of Fame.
The group has also rescinded Cosby's President's Award which was given to him at the time of his induction which took place in the year 2011.
As reported by CNN, according to the AFF organization, this is one of the first times that members have voted to rescind an induction or an award in its 69-year-old history.
Cosby and Polanski's representatives have not yet commented on the expulsion.