Will Smith has been banned from the Oscars for a decade after slapping Chris Rock at the televised awards ceremony.
The actor had won the Best Actor award at the 94th Academy Awards last month for his role in King Richard.
However, he caused uproar when he slapped comedian Chris Rock on stage at the star-studded event, which took place at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
The actor, 53, had stormed on stage after Chris made a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved hair, quipping that she would appear in G.I. Jane 2.
Furious Will had told Chris to “keep my wife’s name out of your fu**ing mouth” as he sat back down next to Jada, who suffers from a hair-loss condition called alopecia.
(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
However, Smith later apologised to the comedian for his actions and resigned from the Academy – after insisting violence is “poisonous”.
The Academy has now revealed it will not permit Smith to attend any Academy events for 10 years – including the Oscars.
A letter from Academy president David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson on Friday (April 8) read: “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.”
It continued: “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.”
(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
The letter also stated that the event was overshadowed by the “unacceptable” and “harmful” behaviour from Smith on stage.
It said: “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 behaviour we saw Mr. Smith exhibit on stage.”
The pair also apologised for not ‘adequately addresssing’ the altercation in the room when it occurred, saying they failed to set an example.
The letter concluded: “The action we are taking today in responde to Will Smith’s behaviour 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.”
The Academy’s announcement came following a board hearing to discuss “possible sanctions” for Smith, which reportedly took place on Friday.
(Image: Getty Images for Vanity Fair)
The board members of the Academy were “almost entirely split” ahead of the hearing – according to an allegedly inside source.
The source claimed to The Sun: “There have been at least two different Zoom and conference calls with various members, and specific governors over the past ten days.
“The decision was made earlier this week to expedite the hearing in the wake of Will’s resignation, and during that call it was clear that the decision would go to the wire.
“The members – of which there are over 9,000, with hundreds of WhatsApp groups flying about – are completely split.” the insider continued.
“The governors themselves are also said to be in disagreement. Given, though, that convicted sexual predator Harvey Weinstein and fugitive child rapist Roman Polanski haven’t been stripped of their gongs, the general consensus is that it would be madness and rank hypocrisy to take such a stand now.”
(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
They added: “But, as we all know, Hollywood is a law unto itself, frankly,”
Confirming the hearing, Academy President David Rubin wrote to the board of governors, saying it would “address possible sanctions for Will Smith in response to his actions during the Oscars broadcast.”
The letter continued: “The April 18 date was set in accordance with California law and our Standards of Conduct because our agenda included possible suspension or expulsion of Mr Smith from membership.
“We were required to provide Mr Smith notice 15 days prior to the board meeting at which such action might be taken, and also give him the opportunity to provide the board a written statement no less than five days prior to that meeting.”
He explained that as Will resigned from the Academy, “suspension or expulsion are no longer a possibility and the legally prescribed timetable no longer applies. It is in the best interest of all involved for this to be handled in a timely fashion.”
(Image: WireImage for Vanity Fair)
After the altercation, Will apologised to Chris in a statement where he said: “Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive.
“My behavior at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable. Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada’s medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally
“‘I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness.
“I would also like to apologize to the Academy, the producers of the show, all the attendees and everyone watching around the world. I would like to apologize to the Williams Family and my King Richard Family. I deeply regret that my behavior has stained what has been an otherwise gorgeous journey for all of us.
“I am a work in progress.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
