Entertainment GistWhat Trended

Will Smith banned from attending Oscars for 10 years over Chris Rock’s slap

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has finally passed a verdict on Will Smith for Slapping Chris Rock at the 94th Oscars Awards ceremony.

Will Smith has been banned from attending the Academy Awards for 10 years after he slapped Chris Rock for making a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.

“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, that 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,” the academy said in an open letter.

“The 94th Oscars were meant to be a celebration of the many individuals in our community who did incredible work this past year,” academy President David Rubin and Chief Executive Dawn Hudson said in a statement. “However, those moments were overshadowed by the unacceptable and harmful behavior we saw Mr. Smith exhibit on stage.

“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.”

In a statement, Smith said: “I accept and respect the Academy’s decision.” Rock’s representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The announcement means that Smith will not be on hand to present the winner of the best actress trophy at next year’s Oscars ceremony — a tradition the producers behind the show have followed for many years. (Anthony Hopkins, who won for his role in “The Father” last year, handed the best actress statuette to “The Eyes of Tammy Faye” star Jessica Chastain this year.)

However, Smith’s resignation means that he is no longer part of the Academy’s voting body, but it does not prevent the Oscar winner from being nominated in the future, a source with knowledge previously told CNN. 

Smith can also still be nominated despite being barred from attending the Oscars because “the standards of conduct rules” at play in today’s action “do not apply to awards eligibility,” a source close to the Academy with direct knowledge of the rules told CNN 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *