Will Smith was barred from attending the Oscars for the next ten years, two weeks after shocking the world by going on stage in the middle of the ceremony to slap comedian Chris Rock.
Academy Bans Will Smith from Oscars for 10 Years https://t.co/jz7E2pI4CY
— Variety (@Variety) April 8, 2022
Smith will also be barred from attending any Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences events for the following ten years.
Smith’s best actor award from last month for “King Richard” was not revoked by the Board, nor was he barred from future Oscar nominations or wins.
“The Board has decided that Mr. Smith will not be authorised to attend any Academy events or programmes, in person or digitally, for a period of ten years beginning April 8, 2022,” said president David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson in a letter.
“I accept and respect the Academy’s decision,” Smith stated in a brief statement to Hollywood trade newspapers.
The Academy’s governors met on Friday morning to discuss Smith’s case. The Academy is Hollywood’s most prestigious group of 10,000 filmmakers, and it organises the Oscars.
The meeting of top brass was supposed to be about suspending or expelling Smith, but he quit ahead of time.
Actors do not have to be members of the Academy to be nominated, but members of the organisation vote on the candidates and winners each year.
The 94th Academy Awards were supposed to be a celebration of the many people in our community who did wonderful things this year; nevertheless, those moments were overshadowed by Mr. Smith’s disrespectful and damaging behaviour on stage, according to the Academy letter.
It went on to say: “This action, which we’re taking today in reaction to Will Smith’s actions, is part of a bigger purpose of ensuring the safety of our artists and visitors, as well as restoring faith in the Academy. We also hope that this will mark the start of a period of healing and repair for all those engaged and affected.”
Some have called for Smith’s best actor Oscar, which he received for his role in the tennis movie “King Richard” less than an hour after striking Rock on the same stage, to be revoked.
Smith “belittled (Chris Rock) in front of millions of people who watch the show,” according to Kenny Rock of the Los Angeles Times.
However, taking away Smith’s award seemed improbable, given that Harvey Weinstein and Roman Polanski were not stripped of their Oscars after being ousted from the Academy following sexual assault accusations.
Traditionally, the best actor Oscar winner is invited to present the best actress Oscar the following year, an honour Smith will not obtain.
