Both actors and activists have protested his accolades, slamming the Academy for disregarding the claims made against Affleck — Ben Affleck’s younger brother — in two now-settled lawsuits. This isn’t the first time the Academy has been criticized for overlooking harassment allegations against male nominees.
– Backlash followed Casey Affleck's Best Actor win at the Oscars, with numerous people tweeting a reminder that in 2010, Affleck was accused of sexual harassment. Affleck ultimately settled the lawsuits from two women who worked with him on I'm Still Here, one of whom claimed he climbed into bed with her uninvited as she slept in a hotel room and the other of whom said he got violent with her while trying to force her to stay in the hotel room, per Us. The settlement amounts were not made public, and Affleck has called the accusations nothing more than "extortion." In his first interview following the Oscar win, he addressed the issue with the Boston Globe. The Globe notes that Affleck "sighed heavily" before noting that both sides are barred from commenting on the issue, per the settlement agreement. But "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 said. "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."