Topline
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences banned Will Smith from attending all Academy events, including the Oscars, for the next 10 years, multiple news outlets reported Friday, following his slap of comedian Chris Rock at the Oscars ceremony.
Will Smith, right, hits presenter Chris Rock on stage while presenting the award for best … [+]
Key Facts
Academy President David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson said in a letter obtained by multiple media outlets, “Smith shall not be permitted to attend any Academy events or programs, in person or virtually, including but not limited to the Academy Awards” for 10 years, starting on April 8, 2022.
Smith’s resignation from the Academy and ban from future events does not prevent him from being nominated for or winning future awards.
In the letter, Rubin and Hudson apologized for failing to “adequately address the situation in the room,” and expressed “deep gratitude” to Rock for “maintaining his composure under extraordinary circumstances.”
The Academy began disciplinary proceedings against Smith on March 30, and originally scheduled a board meeting to discuss possible punishments for April 18, but Rubin moved up the meeting after Smith resigned from the Academy last week, as the group was no longer legally required to provide him a 15-day notice that he could be suspended or expelled.
The Academy’s Board of Governors is a 54-person group made up of professionals from every film industry discipline, including actress Whoopi Goldberg and director Stephen Spielberg.
Key Background
Rock joked about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, who has lost her hair due to alopecia, an autoimmune disorder, during the Academy Award ceremony last month. Smith walked on stage and slapped Rock after the joke, before returning to his seat and yelling at Rock to “keep my wife’s name out your f***ing mouth.” Smith apologized to Rock and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in an Instagram post the day after the ceremony. Rock declined to file a police report, and said during a stand up show in Boston he is “still kind of processing” what had happened. Smith resigned from the Academy last week, and said he would accept any punishment imposed on him by the group.
Tangent
Sales of Smith’s memoir, Will, surged in the week following the awards ceremony. The book is No. 1 on the Nonfiction Hardcover New York Times bestseller list, and No. 2 on the Combined Print & E-Book Nonfiction list. And while his book sales are up, Smith’s popularity plunged after the slap, according to a Morning Consult poll released last week. About 50% of Americans viewed Smith favorably after the slap—down from 80% in January 2020.
Further Reading
Will Smith Resigns From Academy As It Probes His Slap Of Chris Rock At Oscars (Forbes)
Meeting Over Will Smith Oscars Slap Moved Up To Friday, Academy Says (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/annakaplan/2022/04/08/will-smith-banned-from-oscars-for-10-years/