A tense silence reigned at the Motion Picture Academy on Tuesday as the drumbeat of disapproval grew over Oscar producer Brett Ratner's public statements over the past few days.
The Academy initially stood by Ratner late Monday night after he apologized for a gay slur over the weekend.
But it has declined comment on Tuesday as word spread of a sexually-explicit interview with shock jock Howard Stern on Monday.
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When TheWrap surveyed a number of Academy members on Tuesday morning, none were willing to support Ratner. The ones who didn't shy away from the question altogether said the producer had to go.
"Not for the original remark, but for the pure lack of discretion," one member said. "Once the producer becomes the story, it's not good for the Academy."
Academy president Tom Sherak released a statement late Monday condemning Ratner's use of the slur "fag," but supporting the Oscar producer. But news of the sexually explicit Stern interview apparently took AMPAS officials by surprise.
Also Read: 'The Academy Should Fire Brett Ratner,' Writes EW's Mark Harris
The conversation with Stern had Ratner holding forth on sex, masturbation, cunnilingus ("I'm probably the best in the world at it"), pubic hair, the size of his testicles, the sex habits of Hollywood moguls, condoms (he doesn't like them but now he uses them) and how he sends women to his doctor to be checked for sexually-transmitted diseases "before I go all the way."
On Tuesday morning, the Academy declined to comment further in light of that interview, in which Ratner talked about his sex life in graphic detail even after admitting "I'm now the producer of the Oscars, so I really can't talk about … sex."
The Academy's options at this point are simple: censure but support Ratner while slapping a muzzle on him until after the Oscars, or fire him and move quickly to bring in a replacement to work alongside the well-liked (and eminently restrained) producer Don Mischer.
Not only would the removal of Ratner prove unsettling to the show that he and Mischer are planning, but it could well lead to the loss of the show's host, Eddie Murphy, who starred in Ratner's new film, "Tower Heist."
In addition, it would prove embarrassing to Sherak and Academy CEO Dawn Hudson, both of whom enthusiastically supported Ratner for the job after a lengthy meeting with him during the search process.
Also read: New Oscar Producer Brett Ratner: 'Comedy Is the Key'
Hudson faced a similar problem in 2008, when she was the executive director of Film Independent (FIND). Richard Raddon, director of FIND's Los Angeles Film Festival, was revealed to have donated money to the campaign for Prop. 8, which banned gay marriage in California.
