Chicago museum boss to keep $1 million job after getting drunk and stripping naked on flight
Jun 01, 2025 09:32 AM IST
A Chicago museum director will keep his job – which pays him over $1 million a year – after drunkenly stripping naked on a flight.
A Chicago museum director will keep his job – which pays him over $1 million a year – after drunkenly stripping naked on a flight. According to a New York Post report, James Rondeau, director of the Art Institute of Chicago, had landed in trouble in mid-April after he coupled alcohol with prescription medication and took off his clothes on a United Airlines flight.
James Rondeau will return to his role as director of the Art Institute of Chicago.
What did Chicago museum boss James Rondeau do?
Rondeau was a passenger on a United Airlines flight from Chicago to Munich on April 18. He began to behave erratically during the international flight, stripping naked in front of co-passengers.
According to CBS News, which first reported the incident, Rondeau had taken alcohol with prescription medication which might have led to the strange behaviour.
He was taken into police custody after landing.
How was he penalised?
The director of the Art Institute of Chicago took a voluntary leave from the museum following the incident. The museum also launched an independent investigation into the incident.
“I deeply regret this incident and the impact it has had on the museum and me and on my colleagues,” Rondeau said in a statement to CBS News. “I have dedicated the past 27 years of my professional career to the Art Institute and I am grateful to have the opportunity to continue furthering its mission.”
How much does James Rondeau earn?
According to the New York Post, James Rondeau is the highest-paid employee of the Art Institute of Chicago, earning upwards of $1 million a year.
Will he return to his job?
Yes, James Rondeau will get to keep his high-paying job after the bizarre incident which landed him in police custody and made him a topic of international news.
A spokesperson for the museum told CBS News on Thursday that Rondeau will return to work on Monday. “Board leadership of the Art Institute of Chicago has conducted an independent investigation of this incident and is confident in James Rondeau’s leadership and ability to continue as the President and Director of the museum,” the spokesperson said.
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