Casey Affleck has withdrawn from presenting the best actress award at the 2018 Oscars amid continuing concern about sexual harassment allegations. 
 
 A rep for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences confirmed the withdrawal on Thursday and said, “We appreciate the decision to keep the focus on the show and on the great work of this year.” 
 
 Affleck was not immediately available for comment. A rep for the actor said he would not attend the Oscar ceremonies. 
 
 Affleck won the best actor award last year for “Manchester by the Sea.” He would have been in line to present the best actress award if the Academy had followed tradition, under which the previous year’s best actor winner would present the following year’s award for best actress. The show’s producers, Michael De Luca and Jennifer Todd, had not yet disclosed who the presenter will be. 
 
 The withdrawal comes following the re-emergence of accusations of sexually abusive conduct by Affleck on the set of 2010 movie “I’m Still Here,” which he directed. The allegations were made in lawsuits filed against Affleck by producer Amanda White and director of photography Magdalena Gorka and were settled prior to the release of the film, which starred Joaquin Phoenix. 
 
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 Affleck said in an interview with the Boston Globe after winning the Oscar that both sides in the case are prohibited from commenting on the matter and said, “I believe that any kind of mistreatment of anyone for any reason is unacceptable and abhorrent, and everyone deserves to be treated with respect in the workplace and anywhere else.” 
 
 He also told the newspaper, “There’s really nothing I can do about it, other than live my life the way I know I live it and to speak to what my own values are and how I try to live by them all the time.” 
 
 Affleck’s decision to forego the Oscar ceremonies comes as the anti-sexual harassment movement, embodied by the #MeToo and Times Up campaigns, shows no sign of abating. Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey, Matt Lauer, Louis C.K., and Charlie Rose have lost their jobs over accusations of sexual harassment and assault. 
 
 The Care2 petition started in October calling on the Academy to not allow him to present the Best Actress award had gathered nearly 20,000 signatures. The news about Affleck’s withdrawal was first reported by Deadline Hollywood. ||||| Casey Affleck will no longer be presenting the Best Actress Award at the Oscars. 
 
 According to Deadline, The Manchester by the Sea actor will also not be attending the ceremony. 
 
 Affleck allegedly did not want to "become a distraction from the focus that should be on the performances of the actresses in the category". 
 
 His decision to withdraw from presenting came from being in a "no-win situation" because of the #MeToo campaign. 
 
 He feared that his position presenting the award was going to create controversy. 
 
 Affleck's decision to forego bestowing the award and the ceremony isn't a surprise considering claims that have been made against him in the past. 
 
 In 2010, two women that worked on the Affleck-directed film I'm Still Here sued him for sexual harassment. 
 
 One woman claimed Affleck came into her bed while she was sleeping without her consent. 
 
 The other woman claimed she was pressured to stay in his hotel room when he aggressively grabbed her in order to intimidate her upon refusal. 
 
 Both women alleged they were verbally berated by Affleck and he had someone else working for him expose himself to them alongside other misconduct allegations. 
 
 The women also claimed Affleck allegedly locked himself in their hotel rooms along with two other women for sex. 
 
 One woman sued Affleck for $2m, while the other sued for $2.25m. 
 
 In 2010, Affleck settled the cases outside of court and the settlement amounts have never been disclosed. 
 
 The actor has denied the claims. 
 
 According to Affleck's lawyer, he even wanted to counter-sue the women when he was first sued. 
 
 In a 2016 New York Times profile, Affleck addressed the allegations saying, "It was settled to the satisfaction of all. I was hurt and upset—I am sure all were—but I am over it. It was an unfortunate situation—mostly for the innocent bystanders of the families of those involved.” 
 
 Normally the Best Actor gives presents the winner of Best Actress with her award and the Best Actress winner gives the Best Actor his accolade. 
 
 Because of the uncomfortable situation, Affleck has shifted this year's dynamic at the Oscars ceremony. ||||| EXCLUSIVE: Casey Affleck has withdrawn from presenting the Best Actress Award at the upcoming Oscars, Deadline hears. He has notified the Academy he will not be attending the event, sources said. I’ve heard that Affleck did not want to become a distraction from the focus that should be on the performances of the actresses in the category and that is why he made the proactive move. He was in a no-win situation, with all the attention surrounding the #MeToo movement. The specter of Affleck presenting would have created controversy. 
 
 “Manchester By The Sea” Amazon Studios 
 
 Affleck won the Best Actor Oscar last year for his performance in Manchester By the Sea. Long considered an underrated actor with strong performances in everything from Gone Baby Gone to Out of the Furnace and Good Will Hunting, Affleck turned in a career performance in the Kenneth Lonergan-directed film as the shell of a man haunted by past family trauma. But attention right now isn’t on that accomplishment as much as the outcry over a settlement and non-disclosure agreements that followed allegations of inappropriate behavior toward two women who worked on I’m Still Here, the film Affleck directed that starred Joaquin Phoenix. 
 
 It has been a tradition at Oscars that the Best Actor winner presents the Best Actress trophy while the Best Actress winner presents Best Actor. Affleck’s decision alleviates a potential sore point for the Academy, and also eliminates an awkward situation for the five nominated lead actresses. Affleck’s hope is to put the focus back on their performances. ||||| Don't Let Casey Affleck Present at the Academy Awards 
 
 by: Care2 
 
 target: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences 
 
 During the 2017 Academy Awards, actress and advocate for sexual assault survivors Brie Larson presented Casey Affleck with the Best Actor award. Social media users were quick to point out that Larson refused to clap for Affleck while he received a standing ovation from the audience. When asked if her refusal to join the applause had something to do with sexual harassment allegations against Affleck, Larson responded that what she did “spoke for itself.” 
 
 
 
 As the most recent recipient of the Best Actor award, Casey Affleck is scheduled to present the Best Actress award at the 2018 Academy Awards. 
 
 
 
 It’s time for Hollywood to stop victimizing women by propping up actors with disturbing histories of sexual harassment or sexual assault. Please sign this petition demanding that Affleck not be allowed to present at next year’s Academy Awards. 
 
 
 
 The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recently ousted Harvey Weinstein following the news that he had terrorized women in Hollywood for over three decades. While the Academy was right to dismiss Weinstein, why does it continue to celebrate other men who have similar histories of abuse against women? 
 
 
 
 The Academy needs to take a real stand and stop celebrating men who abuse women. It can start by keeping Casey Affleck offstage. Please sign this petition demanding that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences refuse to let Casey Affleck present the award for Best Actress at the 2018 Academy Awards.
– In a break with tradition, last year's Best Actor winner will not be presenting the Best Actress award at this year's Oscars. Casey Affleck's win last year for Manchester by the Sea was controversial because of past accusations of sexual harassment, and sources tell Deadline that he decided to drop out because he "did not want to become a distraction from the focus that should be on the performances of the actresses in the category." Affleck denied accusations in 2010 that he sexually harassed producer Amanda White and director of photography Magdalena Gorka on the set of I'm Still Here, though he settled with them out of court for an undisclosed sum, the Independent reports. A rep for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences confirmed Affleck's withdrawal Thursday, saying they "appreciate the decision to keep the focus on the show and on the great work of this year," Variety reports. An Affleck rep says he will not be attending the ceremony at all this year. After last year's controversy, Affleck said both sides in the case are banned from commenting on it. He added that he believes "any kind of mistreatment of anyone for any reason is unacceptable and abhorrent." Almost 20,000 people signed a petition at Care2 urging the Academy not to let Affleck present the award.