Just one day after Anthony Rapp alleged that Kevin Spacey made a sexual advance towards him when he was just 14 years old, the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences has revoked the actor's International Emmy Founders Award, The Hollywood Reporter reports.
"The International Academy has announced today that in light of recent events it will not honor Kevin Spacey with the 2017 International Emmy Founders Award," the organization said in a statement.
The news follows on the heels of Netflix's announcement that House of Cards will end with its sixth season. In addition to outrage surrounding the allegation itself, Spacey's response has received backlash because it perpetuates the harmful myth that homosexuality and pedophilia are linked.
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The International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences presents International Emmy Awards and it's a separate organization than the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, which presents the Emmy awards every September. The former recognizes TV productions from outside the United States and American productions that aren't in English.
The International Emmy Founders Award, which Spacey was slated to receive on November 20, is an annual award that honors "an individual whose creative accomplishments have contributed to the quality of global television production," according to The Hollywood Reporter. Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg, Dick Wolf, Ryan Murphy, Norman Lear, J.J. Abrams, and Shonda Rhimes are among the past recipients.
The International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences has not yet announced if it will name a replacement honoree for 2017.
If you have experienced sexual violence and are in need of crisis support, please call the RAINN Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
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