At the 94th Oscars, Will Smith slapped Chris Rock. The incident took place after Chris made a joke about his wife, actor Jada Pinkett Smith.
The incident also became a trending meme material for all the fans around the world. Making it an epic incident at the Oscars.
No Oscar For 10 Years
On Friday, The motion picture academy banned Will Smith from attending the Oscars or any other academy event for 10 years. The news came following the incident of him slapping Chris Rock at the Academy Awards.
The Academy has banned Will Smith from the Oscars for 10 years following his attack on Chris Rock at this year’s ceremony. pic.twitter.com/6MR51s0WO5
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) April 8, 2022
As per Indie Wire, The decision was taken after a meeting of the academy’s board of governors was hosted. The meeting was held to discuss a response to Smith’s actions.
The academy released the statement, “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.”
Will Smith’s And The Academy
Will Smith pre-emptively resigned from the academy. This incident took place last week during the run-up to the meeting. He even stated that he would accept any punishment the academy handed down.
Will announced that “I accept and respect the academy’s decision.”
The Academy also shared, “During our telecast, we did not adequately address the situation in the room. For this, we are sorry.” Because this was an opportunity for us to set an example for our guests, viewers, and our academy family around the world. Acknowledging the fact that they fell short and we’re not prepared for the unprecedented.
Best Actor in a Leading Role goes to Will Smith for his incredible performance in 'King Richard' Congratulations! #Oscars pic.twitter.com/y0UTX48214
— The Academy (@TheAcademy) March 28, 2022
The academy also came forward to apologize for its handling of the situation. Staying to the fact that they allowed Smith to stay and accept his best actor award for King Richard.
Asked To Leave The Oscars for 10 Years
In a statement a few days after the Oscars, the academy said Smith was asked to leave the ceremony but refused.
In addition, it’s not clear how the message was delivered to Smith or what form it took. Though according to several media outlets it was reported that he was never formally told to leave the Dolby Theatre.
On Thursday, The Los Angeles Times reported in a story that Oscars producer Will Packer told Smith: “Officially, we don’t want you to leave. We want you to stay.”
On Friday, The academy also expressed “deep gratitude to Mr. Rock for maintaining his composure under extraordinary circumstances.”
Award Not Revoked
The ban officially means that Will Smith will not be present at any of the major awards. We won’t see him at the next year’s Oscars, as is the tradition for the best actor winner.
Although, The academies have not officially addressed whether Smith could be nominated for Oscars during his 10-year ban. Neither has it been made clear whether any action to revoke Will Smith’s Academy Award.
In the past, the academy has also not revoked Oscars from expelled members Harvey Weinstein or Roman Polanski.