Will Smith has been barred from attending the Oscars and other Academy events for the next ten years after slapping comedian Chris Rock at the ceremony.

The 94th Academy Awards were “overshadowed by the unacceptable and harmful behaviour we saw Mr Smith exhibit on stage,” according to a statement from the Academy. Smith has apologised for his actions and resigned from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The actor slammed Rock for making a joke about his wife’s shaved head, which is the result of alopecia, a hair-loss condition.

He won the best actor award for his role as the father of tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams in “King Richard” less than an hour later. On Friday, the Academy Of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which hosts the awards show, met virtually to discuss disciplinary action. It said in a statement that the ban was aimed at protecting performers and guests while also “restoring trust in the Academy.”

The Academy claimed it did not “adequately address the situation in the room” at the time of the slap and was “unprepared for the unprecedented.” It expressed regret for this.

It also praised Rock for “retaining his composure in the face of adversity.” Smith said in his resignation statement that he had “betrayed the Academy’s trust” and was “heartbroken” over his actions. He went on to say that he would “fully accept any and all consequences” for his actions.

As a result of his resignation, he will be unable to vote in future Oscars. After Smith resigned, the Academy’s disciplinary review of the incident was accelerated. It was originally scheduled for April 18th.

Few people have ever left the academy. Four members have been expelled for sexual misconduct allegations: producer Harvey Weinstein, actor Bill Cosby, director Roman Polanski, and cinematographer Adam Kimmel, while actor Carmine Caridi was expelled in 2004 for pirating screener videos given to him.

However, the film academy’s code of conduct included a number of disciplinary options for Smith, including barring him from future Oscar ceremonies, revoking his eligibility for awards, and returning his newly won Oscar.

Only one Oscar has ever been rescinded; in 1969, a film called “Young Americans” won best documentary but was later found to be ineligible for the award.

Smith would face “big consequences,” according to actor Whoopi Goldberg, a member of the academy’s board of governors, but “we’re not going to take that Oscar away from him.”

In addition to the Academy’s actions, at least two studios, Sony and Netflix, have put Smith’s projects on hold.

Rock, who started his latest stand-up comedy tour shortly after the Oscars, has remained silent on the incident.

At a recent show, he told fans that he is “still kind of processing what happened” and that he will speak about the incident “at some point.”

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Will Smith was ready to be arrested at the Oscars after the actor slapped comedian Chris Rock on stage, according to the ceremony’s producer.

Will Packer said officers asked Rock if he wanted them to take action in his first interview since the incident on Sunday. Packer told ABC TV that the star was “very dismissive” of the offer. Smith has apologised for punching Rock over a joke about his wife Jada, and the Oscars’ organisers and Packer have been chastised for their responses.

The producer described the conversation between Rock and Los Angeles police officers in the aftermath of the incident in an interview clip published by ABC’s Good Morning America.

“They were saying something along the lines of, you know, this is – battery was the word they used at the time. ‘We’ll go get him,’ they said. We have everything we need. Right now, we’re ready to go get him. You have the option of filing charges. We have the authority to detain him.’

“They were outlining the possibilities. And while they were conversing, Chris was dismissive of those possibilities. ‘No, I’m fine,’ he said. ‘No, no, no,’ he exclaimed. I went so far as to say, ‘Rock, let them finish.’

“‘Would you like us to take any action?’ the other LAPD officers asked after they had finished explaining his options. ‘No,’ he replied. ‘No,’ he replied.”

Packer, who produced the 2015 Oscar-nominated film Straight Outta Compton and the 2017 film Girls Trip, will be interviewed in depth later on Friday. There have been conflicting reports on the producer’s role in Smith’s decision to stay in the Dolby Theatre to accept his best actor award shortly after the now-famous slap.

Packer entered the auditorium and spoke with Smith, according to Variety, but reports differ on whether Packer asked Smith to stay or not. The organisation has begun disciplinary proceedings against Smith, and its board of directors will meet on April 18 to decide how to proceed.

It could result in “suspension, expulsion, or other sanctions permitted by the Bylaws and Standards of Conduct,” according to the statement.

Rock said on Wednesday that he is “still processing what happened” as he hosted the final leg of his US tour in Boston.

Rock, who received a standing ovation from the audience, also denied reports in the American media that he had spoken to Smith since the incident.

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