Will Smith banned from Oscars for 10 years over slap

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Only one Oscar has ever been rescinded; in 1969, a film called “Young Americans” won best documentary but was later found to be ineligible for the award.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

Picture Courtesy: Google/Images are subject to copyright