John Lasseter, co-founder of Pixar studios and chief creative officer of Disney Animation, is taking a six-month leave of absence for what he called “missteps” that had made employees feel “disrespected or uncomfortable,” he told company employees on Tuesday.
Lasseter didn’t go into specifics in an internal memo provided by Pixar, but he wrote: “I especially want to apologize to anyone who has ever been on the receiving end of an unwanted hug or any other gesture they felt crossed the line in any way, shape, or form.”
He added: “I’ve recently had a number of difficult conversations that have been very painful for me. It’s never easy to face your missteps, but it’s the only way to learn from them.”
Lasseter, 60, has been chief creative officer for both Pixar Animation Studios, which he co-founded, and Walt Disney Animation Studios since 2006, when Disney bought Pixar, the company behind such groundbreaking films as “Toy Story,” “A Bug’s Life,” “Finding Nemo” and “Up.” Its latest feature, “Coco,” is scheduled for release in the United States and Canada on Wednesday.
The Associated Press reported that Lasseter had been accused of an “unwanted advance” toward the actress and writer Rashida Jones, who is credited as a co-writer of “Toy Story 4,” which is scheduled to be released next year.
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Lasseter announced in July that he was stepping aside as co-director of “Toy Story 4,” without offering an explanation.
“We are committed to maintaining an environment in which all employees are respected and empowered to do their best work,” a spokesperson for Pixar told NBC News. “We appreciate John’s candor and sincere apology and fully support his sabbatical.”
Neither Lasseter nor Jones could immediately be reached for comment.
Lasseter joins a long list of powerful men who have been accused of sexual harassment, sexual assault or both since allegations surfaced in early October that movie mogul Harvey Weinstein had sexually harassed or assaulted multiple women over decades. Weinstein has denied all allegations that he engaged in non-consensual sex with women.
CBS News, PBS and Bloomberg all fired TV host Charlie Rose earlier Tuesday after The Washington Post reported that eight women had accused him of sexual harassment and unwanted advances.