Academy Bans Will Smith For 10 Years For Slapping Chris Rock
Will Smith got his punishment for slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars. The Academy’s Board of Governors met Friday and after the vote the Academy President and CEO David Rubin said, “The Board of Governors 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.” Smith, who resigned from the Academy last week, replied soon after in a statement, saying “I accept and respect the Academy’s decision.”
The statement from the Academy said, “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.
Academy Bans Will Smith For A Decade
The Oscars have struggled with their messaging and fallout after the incident. Criticism was heated from Academy members and Hollywood industry professionals regarding the decision to allow the “King Richard” actor and producer to accept his statuette and speak for several minutes uninterrupted. When the disciplinary proceedings were announced, the Academy said in a statement that Smith refused to leave the ceremony, something multiple sources have refuted.
In fact, The Academy lied about asking Will to leave the Dolby Theater after the slap. Turns out as the show’s producer, Will Packer, told Will he could stay. The Academy was criticized for getting caught in a lie, so this disciplinary hearing on April 18 will also served as its best way to make good for an response.
