Will Smith Banned From Oscars For 10 Years

Days after Will Smith’s slapping incident at the Oscars 2022, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Board of Governors voted on Friday to ban Smith from all Academy events for ten years. That’s right, Will Smith banned from the Oscars for 10 years.

“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,” president David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson said in the statement.

The decision was taken on Friday in Los Angeles at a Board of Governors meeting. The meeting was originally scheduled for April 18. It was pushed back when Smith announced his resignation from the Academy last week, according to CNN.

The statement continued, “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.”

“During our telecast, we did not adequately address the situation in the room,” the letter went on to state. “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,” David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson added.

Earlier, Chris Rock made a joke about Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head while presenting the best documentary feature prize at the 2022 Oscars.

Rock remarked he couldn’t wait to watch Pinkett Smith, who suffers from alopecia areata, star in “G.I. Jane 2,” prompting Smith to smack Rock on the stage. “Keep my wife’s name out of your fu**ing mouth!” Smith yelled as he returned to his seat.

Just a few minutes after the incident Smith was named Best Actor at the 94th Academy Awards. Smith apologised to the Academy and fellow nominees when accepting his first Oscar for best actor (main role) in ‘King Richard,’ but did not mention Rock.

Eventually, Smith apologised to Chris Rock and the Academy on his social media account after receiving outrage for his disruptive behaviour.

On March 29, Smith convened a brief virtual conference between Rubin, and Academy CEO Dawn Hudson, which he initiated.

Soon after, Smith resigned from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, declaring that he “would completely embrace any and all consequences for my behavior.”

– (ANI)

---