Will Smith is now facing the repercussions of his actions at the 94th Academy Awards. The Board of Governors for the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences made their decision on Friday to ban the King Richard star from all Academy events including the Oscars for 10 years.
Smith replied to the punishment saying “I accept and respect and the Academy’s decision.” The actor already resigned from the Academy about a week ago — a few days after Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars.
The Academy’s Statement on Will Smith and Chris Rock Slap Incident
“The 94th Oscars were meant to be a celebration of the many individuals in our community who did incredible work this past year; however, those moments were overshadowed by the unacceptable and harmful behavior we saw Mr. Smith exhibit on stage.
During our telecast, we did not adequately address the situation in the room. For this, we are sorry. This was an opportunity for us to set an example for our guests, viewers and our Academy family around the world, and we fell short — unprepared for the unprecedented.
Today, the Board of Governors convened a meeting to discuss how best to respond to Will Smith’s actions at the Oscars, in addition to accepting his resignation. The Board has decided, for a period of 10 years from April 8, 2022, Mr. Smith shall not be permitted to attend any Academy events or programs, in person or virtually, including but not limited to the Academy Awards.
We want to express our deep gratitude to Mr. Rock for maintaining his composure under extraordinary circumstances. We also want to thank our hosts, nominees, presenters and winners for their poise and grace during our telecast.
This action we are taking today in response to Will Smith’s behavior is a step toward a larger goal of protecting the safety of our performers and guests, and restoring trust in the Academy. We also hope this can begin a time of healing and restoration for all involved and impacted.”
Calls for Smith’s Oscar to be taken back have been made by industry insiders and moviegoers. However, the Oscars have no legal authority to do so. Harvey Weinstein and director Roman Polanski still have their Oscars even after being expelled from the Academy and are convicted criminals.
The disciplinary proceedings started on March 30 and originally scheduled the board meeting for April 18. Since Will Smith resigned from the Academy on April 1, Academy president David Rubin moved up the meeting to Friday, April 8.
Will Smith assaulted Chris Rock after the comedian made a G.I. Jane joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head. The Matrix star has spoken publicly about her hair loss from alopecia. Smith apologized to Rock on Instagram a day after the Oscar Awards.
