The Academy Voted To Expel Bill Cosby & Roman Polanski As Members

After a vote at a board meeting earlier this week, the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced on Wednesday that actor Bill Cosby and director Roman Polanski are being removed as members. 

Nearly 60 women have accused Cosby of sexual assault, and last week, he was convicted of three counts of aggravated indecent assault. 

Polanski was charged with statutory rape of a 13-year-old girl in 1978, which caused him to flee the United States. His filmmaking career continued in Europe, and in 2003, he even won an Oscar for directing The Pianist. 

The Academy's announcement cited Cosby's and Polanski's removal "in accordance with the organization's Standards of Conduct," adding that the Board "continues to encourage ethical standards that require members to uphold the Academy's values of respect for human dignity."

The two join Harvey Weinstein as Academy outcasts, as he was expelled last October following numerous sexual misconduct allegations.