Entertainment
Eva Longoria, Jurnee Smollett and Shonda Rimes step down from Time’s Up board after organisation embroiled in Cuomo controversy
Eva is one of the board members to resign (Picture: Owen Hoffmann/Getty Images for The Latinx House)
Hollywood stars and powerplayers Eva Longoria, Jurnee Smollett and Shonda Rhimes have resigned from their positions on the Time’s Up board amid a ‘shake up’ of leadership.
Charity Time’s Up was founded by celebrities in 2018 in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein allegations and Me Too movement, and fights for gender equality and advocates on behalf of sexual abuse victims.
According to Los Angeles Times, the two actresses and the How To Get Away with Murder creator have agreed to leave their positions on the organisation’s board of directors after the campaign group became embroiled in the sexual harassment scandal surrounding former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.
The organisation announced over the weekend that ‘members of the existing board will be stepping aside over the next 30 days’ to make way for a ‘new and reconstituted board’.
It was announced Nina Shaw, Hilary Rosen, Katie McGrath, Christy Haubegger, and Ana Navarro were also among those who offered their resignation.
The organisation said in a statement: ‘Time’s Up is ready for new leadership, and we want to move forcefully toward its new iteration.
Shonda has also stepped down (Picture: Chelsea Lauren/Rex)
‘We have strong faith in the talent and dedication of our interim CEO Monifa Bandele as a leader.
‘As has been announced, Monifa will be overseeing a comprehensive assessment of the organization, in collaboration with an outside consultant, and the input of our stakeholders: survivors and those who work for survivor justice and gender equity in the workplace and beyond.’
The new temporary CEO has asked Ashley Judd, Gabrielle Sulzberger, Colleen DeCourcy, and Raffi Freedman-Gurspan to stay on.
The reshuffle comes after Roberta Kaplan was pressured to step down as board chair last month after a report from the New York Attorney General revealed she advised Cuomo on a letter after he was accused of sexual harassment last year.
In addition, Tina Tchen resigned as President and Chief Executive late last month.
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Almost 150 people signed an open letter last month calling for an independent investigation into Time’s Up and the National Women’s Law Center, as well as seeking the removal of board members who ‘have supported perpetrators of harm.’
Alison Turkos, who wrote the letter, wrote: ‘Time’s Up has abandoned the very people it was supposed to champion. The board continues to fail to heed the outcry from survivors. Time’s Up is failing all survivors.’
MORE : Harvey Weinstein calls Angelina Jolie attempted assault claim ‘brazenly untrue’
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