Looks like the clock has restarted for another of the many men exposed by the #MeToo movement. John Lasseter, the former creative chief of Pixar and Disney Animation who took a leave of absence in November 2017 amid accusations of sexual harassment, has already landed a new job at Skydance Animation as their new head. In a statement announcing the news, Skydance Media CEO David Ellison acknowledged the allegations saying that Lasseter had apparently paid his penance: “John has acknowledged and apologized for his mistakes and, during the past year away from the workplace, has endeavored to address and reform them.â€
Several female employees at Pixar and Disney accused Lasseter of unwanted physical contact and encouraging a “sexist and misogynistic culture†at the company, which the women alleged was covered up by Disney executives. Lasseter took what was described as a “sabbatical†from the company and apologized in a memo to staff for making “missteps†in his behavior without elaborating further on what those missteps were; it was later announced that he would leave both Pixar and Disney by the end of 2018.
Time’s Up has issued a statement admonishing Skydance for hiring Lasseter despite the allegations, saying that the decision sets a precedent for welcoming predatory people back into Hollywood with open arms:
Skydance Media’s decision to hire John Lasseter as head of animation endorses and perpetuates a broken system that allows powerful men to act without consequence. At a moment when we should be uplifting the many talented voices who are consistently underrepresented, Skydance Media is providing another position of power, prominence and privilege to a man who has repeatedly been accused of sexual harassment in the workplace. People often ask when a man who has abused his power ‘gets’ to ‘come back.’ There is no simple answer. But here are a few first steps: 1) Demonstrate true remorse. 2) Work deeply to reform your behavior. 3) Deliver restitution to those you harmed. That’s the bare minimum. Hiring decisions have consequences. And offering a high-profile position to an abuser who has yet to do any of those things is condoning abuse.
Lasseter is set to begin his new post later this month.