The organizers behind Time’s Up said they will “stand down” on the red carpet at this weekend’s Oscar ceremony.
Filmmaker Ava DuVernay, who is one of the leaders of the organization, told members of the press on Thursday that the message of Time’s Up is not about wearing black to awards shows and overshadowing the main event. Celebrities wore black at January’s Golden Globe Awards to show support for the newly-formed anti-sexual harassment initiative.
“We are not an awards show protest group,” DuVernay said. “So we stand down this time. It’s really important that you know that Time’s Up is not about the red carpet. And those women you saw on the red carpet representing Time’s Up [at the Globes] are now off the red carpet working their butts off being activists.”
She added that, “I think there’s really something about the narrative of Time’s Up that was really important that this not be just capturing the awards show spotlight. It’ll happen again, but not this time.”
Instead of a red carpet showing, Time’s Up will have “a moment” during the televised broadcast of the Academy Awards, she said. DuVernay did not elaborate on what will take place. She did not immediately respond to CNN’s request for clarification.
“Scandal” creator Shonda Rhimes, another Time’s Up leader, said she wants to be strategic about their exposure.
“We’re also well aware of how much attention people are able to command at certain times,” Rhimes said. “It feels like some of these amazing women have a superpower. And we like to deploy that superpower usefully in an intelligent way and not just because we can.”
Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel has given conflicting interviews as to whether he plans on addressing the #MeToo movement, which gained attention last year after news broke that Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein sexually harassed and assaulted dozens of women. (He has denied all allegations of non-consensual sex, but has since stepped down from the board of his company and has been named in multiple lawsuits.)
A representative for Kimmel did not immediately respond for comment.
Kimmel told CNN recently that he hopes the #MeToo movement will bring lasting change.
“I hope real progress has been made when it comes to equal opportunity and that men who abuse their power have learned that this kind of behavior will not be quieted or tolerated anymore,” Kimmel said.
Time’s Up was officially unveiled in January, though the group was formed not long after the first round of allegations against Weinstein came to light in October. A group of more than 1,000 women in entertainment formed the initiative to battle harassment in all industries after receiving a letter of support from Alianza Nacional de Campesinas (The National Farmworker Women’s Alliance) in November.
Tina Tchen, the co-founder of the Time’s Up legal defense fund told CNN in a sit-down interview this week that they’ve had more than 1,600 requests for subsidized legal aid and have connected 1,000 individuals with attorneys. The group has raised $21 million to date.
The Academy Awards air Sunday at 8pm EST on ABC.
CNN’s Dylan Byers contributed to this report.
