Did Woody Allen molest his daughter 22 years ago? I don’t know.

However, I do know that regardless of what actually happened, I can still respect and enjoy Allen’s films to this day.

Now you might be thinking, “Whoa there, Jake! You’re saying you condone child molestation?” Of course not. While any new revelations about Allen’s alleged crime would certainly tarnish my view of Allen, they wouldn’t diminish my respect for his movies.

I’m not going to discuss or theorize whether Allen actually did commit any crimes. He might have, but most people seem to think he did not.

Despite the allegations, “A-list actors never stopped clamoring to work with him,” said Jessica Winters of Slate Magazine.

Rather, I want to answer a simple question: should we separate the art from the artist? The short answer is, “Yes.”

But how do we do separate the art from the artist? This is trickier, but essentially, you need to immerse yourself in the art. Focus on the actors, the music, the attention to detail. Forget about the real world and who made it. Obviously, this is tougher with performers than it is with directors, but it is something to strive for.

So why should we judge celebrities and their creations independently? Quite simply, we’d be missing out on a lot of incredible work if we didn’t.

“This wouldn’t really make me dislike Allen’s work, but I guess it does affect the way I view it because I imagine him drawing on his life experiences for his work,” said Early College senior and Woody Allen fan Dylan Caskie.

In some of Allen’s films, there are significant age differences in romantic relationship between main characters, so it might be difficult to disregard a possible relation to Allen’s own romantic history.

Visiting Assistant Professor of Theatre Studies Chad Phillips felt similarly about allegations towards Allen.

“It is sometimes easier to separate the art from the artist in regards to directing films, particularly when the director is not performing in the film,” said Phillips.

Phillips also noted an important difference between performers and directors.

“There’s a much bigger presence when you’re in front of a camera that the audience can’t ignore,” said Phillips.

Performers such as Chris Brown or Michael Jackson are usually front and center, so the public remains constantly aware of their personal lives.

However, Theatre Studies Chair David Hammond disagreed. He feels there is a deep connection between the art and the artist that is not easy to separate.

“I might choose not to see the work of someone I knew in fact did something horrible,” Hammond said. “They’d have to be extraordinarily good to make me forget.”

While it is oftentimes difficult to ignore the artist’s personal life when viewing their work, I feel as though I would be missing out on multiple distinguished works if I held this viewpoint.

So, celebrities do a lot of crazy, sometimes horrible things. Should this affect the way we view them personally? For sure.

But should we let their actions sully our view of their work? The answer is, “No.”

Beauty and brilliance can still emerge from corrupt minds and immoral people.