Well, that was fast! The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences has accepted Brett Ratner‘s decision to resign as producer of the 2012 Oscar telecast. He probably would have survived “rehearsing is for fags” but talking about cunnilingus with Howard Stern yesterday morning did him in. Will Eddie Murphy decline to serve as host in solidarity with Rats, or will he stick? That’s the question.

Ratner’s statement: “As a first step, I called Tom Sherak this morning and resigned as a producer of the 84th Academy Awards telecast. Being asked to help put on the Oscar show was the proudest moment of my career. But as painful as this may be for me, it would be worse if my association with the show were to be a distraction from the Academy and the high ideals it represents.”

Academy president Tom Sherak‘s statement: “[Ratner] did the right thing for the Academy and for himself. Words have meaning, and they have consequences. Brett is a good person, but his comments were unacceptable. We all hope this will be an opportunity to raise awareness about the harm that is caused by reckless and insensitive remarks, regardless of the intent.”