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 in a show of solidarity at January’s Golden Globe to 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 on Sunday, she said. DuVernay did not elebarote on Thursday on what will take place during the broadcast. 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.”
It’s unclear if this will be the only moment on stage where sexual harassment is addressed.
Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel has given conflicting interviews as to whether he plans on addressing on stage the #MeToo movement, which gained attention last year after news broke that Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein sexually harassed and assaulted dozens of women. He denied all allegation of non-consensual sex, but he has since stepped down from the board of the company that bears his name 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 find ways 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 the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund told CNN in a sit-down interview this week that they’ve had over 1,600 requests for subsidized legal aid and that they’ve linked up 1,000 individuals with attorneys. So far the group has raised over $21 million.
The Oscars airs Sunday night at 8pm ET on ABC.
CNN’s Dylan Byers contributed to this report.