John Oliver rips Academy for hypocrisy after Weinstein removal

John Oliver was not impressed with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences’ Board of Governors decision to boot Harvey Weinstein from the motion picture academy.

On Sunday’s Last Week Tonight, Oliver mocked the group for its statement on ousting Weinstein, which read in part, “We do so not simply to separate ourselves from someone who does not merit the respect of his colleagues but also to send a message that the era of willful ignorance and shameful complicity in sexually predatory behavior and workplace harassment in our industry is over. What’s at issue here is a deeply troubling problem that has no place in our society. The Board continues to work to establish ethical standards of conduct that all Academy members will be expected to exemplify.”

Joked Oliver on Sunday, “Yes, finally! The group that counts among its current members Roman Polanski, Bill Cosby, and Mel Gibson has found the one guy who treated women badly and kicked him out. So, congratulations, Hollywood! See you at the next Oscars where — and this is true — Casey Affleck will be presenting Best Actress.”

Last week, Oliver was the first late-night host to use his platform to attack Weinstein, who has been accused of sexual misconduct by numerous women since a bombshell New York Times story about decades of harassment allegations published Oct. 5. Among the women to have come forward is actress Angie Everhart, who alleged Weinstein masturbated in front of her while she was sleeping on a boat during the Cannes Film Festival.

“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 said in an interview last week.

Said Oliver on Sunday of Weinstein’s alleged behavior and “the way people around him excused it”: “What the f—? 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 a sex-criminal version of the Kool-Aid Man.'”

“Any allegations of non-consensual sex are unequivocally denied by Mr. Weinstein,” read a statement issued from Weinstein’s rep to The New Yorker last week. “Mr. Weinstein has further confirmed that there were never any acts of retaliation against any women for refusing his advances. Mr. Weinstein obviously can’t speak to anonymous allegations, but with respect to any women who have made allegations on the record, Mr. Weinstein believes that all of these relationships were consensual. Mr. Weinstein has begun counseling, has listened to the community and is pursuing a better path. Mr. Weinstein is hoping that, if he makes enough progress, he will be given a second chance.”