Academy President John Bailey reportedly under investigation for sexual harassment

Motion Picture Academy President John Bailey speaks at the Foreign Language Film nominees cocktail reception in Beverly Hills, California, U.S., March 2, 2018. (Reuters)

John Bailey, the president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, is under investigation for sexual harassment, Variety is reporting.

The Academy received three complaints of harassment on Wednesday and opened a probe, a source told Variety.

"The Academy treats any complaints confidentially to protect all parties," the organization said in a statement.

"The Membership Committee reviews all complaints brought against Academy members according to our Standards of Conduct process, and after completing reviews, reports to the Board of Governors," the statement continued. "We will not comment further on such matters until the full review is completed."

Bailey did not immediately return Fox News' request for comment.

The Academy instituted a new code of conduct in December that allows members to be forced out or disciplined over sexual harassment, abuse or discrimination.

Disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein was memorably expelled from the Academy less than 10 days after the New York Times' bombshell report that accused him of decades of sexual harassment and abuse.

Bailey's appointment this summer didn't come without controversy. The 75-year-old, who succeeded Cheryl Boone Isaacs, upset some who questioned whether, as a white man, he was best suited for the Academy after pressure for the institution to diversify its membership.

He told Variety at the time, "What you just said is bulls--t. I was born a white man, and I can’t help it that I’m 75 years old. Is this some sort of limiting factor?"