Will Smith, a veteran award-winning American actor, and rapper has been banned from participating in the Oscars or any other academy event for the next ten years. On Friday, April 8, 2022, the Academy’s Board of Governors made this decision.
This comes after Smith slapped his colleague, Chris Rock, at the 2022 Oscars when a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, was made. Will Smith stormed the stage and slapped Chris Rock on the face for making an on-stage joke about his wife.
Will Smith was chastised by the majority for his uncalled for actions against his colleague, which caused a lot of varied emotions on social media. Others defended him, claiming that Chris Rock deserved to be warned against messing with other people’s emotions. RELATED STORY: Following Chris Rock’s slap, Will Smith resigns from the Academy.
During a meeting scheduled on 18th April but later moved to 8th April, the President of the Academy, David Rubin detailed in a letter that “suspension or expulsion is 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.”
“The 64th Academy Awards were meant to be a celebration of the many individuals in our community who performed wonderful work this past year,” the letter continued, “but those moments were overshadowed by the abhorrent and inexcusable behavior of a few members in our community.”
“During our telecast, we did not adequately address the situation in the room. For this, we are sorry. This was an opportunity for us to set an example for our guests, viewers, and our Academy family around the world, and we fell short unprepared for the unprecedented. “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,” Dawn Hudson, the Academy’s CEO, disclosed the letter written by David Rubin.
The Governors of the Board further expressed their profound gratitude to Chris Rock, the victim for maintaining his balance and composure during the embarrassing moments he was subjected to by the Best Actor winner, Will Smith.
Meanwhile, Will Smith resigned from the Academy in a letter released last Friday, and he also apologized to the Academy for his uncalled-for actions, as well as to his victim, Chris Rock, for subjecting him to the extraordinary circumstances during the night show. If you enjoy our stories kindly join our community for more updates ☺️
