The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has banned Will Smith from attending the Oscars and any other Academy events for 10 years as punishment for smacking Chris Rock.
His “unacceptable and harmful” behavior overshadowed the work being celebrated at the 94th Oscars and a ban would be a “step toward a larger goal of protecting the safety of our performers and guests,” the Academy’s president and CEO wrote in an open letter after the board of governors met on Friday.
In a statement, Smith said, “I accept and respect the Academy’s decision.”
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But Academy President Dave Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson also apologized for not doing more to address Smith’s jaw-dropping behavior in the immediate aftermath. While the Academy claimed in the days after the ceremony that they asked Smith to leave and the actor refused, multiple outlets reported that it was more of a polite request than a forceful demand.
The Los Angeles Times reported Friday that Academy officials met with Smith’s publicist backstage shortly after the slap but there was no clear consensus on what to do. Eventually, the publicist was sent out during a commercial break to ask Smith what he thought about leaving. The actor, described by one source to the Times as being “out of his mind,” refused because he thought he could apologize and “make it right.”
“During our telecast we did not adequately address the situation in the room,” Rubin and Hudson said in their open letter Friday. “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.”
The Academy also thanked Rock for “maintaining his composure under extraordinary circumstances.”
Smith’s slap over Rock’s tasteless joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith both shocked and divided the world. Zoe Kravitz, Amy Schumer, and Kathy Griffin were among those in Hollywood who spoke out against Smith—though there were also plenty of people, like Tiffany Haddish and Rep. Ayanna Pressley, who praised the actor for defending his wife.
To make matters even more convoluted, just 20 minutes after the slap, Smith won the Best Actor award for his performance in King Richard, taking to the stage to apologize to the Academy for his actions (but not apologizing to Rock).
On Friday, the Academy stopped short of rescinding Smith’s win. An Oscar has never been revoked after it’s been given, though five members have previously been expelled: Carmine Caridi, Harvey Weinstein, Bill Cosby, Roman Polanski, and Adam Kimmel. Smith gave up his membership a week after slapping Rock.
The Academy has strict guidelines when it comes to its code of conduct. Back in 2017, following the many sexual misconduct scandals that hit Hollywood as part of the #MeToo movement, the group updated its values statement.
Per the CEO’s statement just five years ago, “The Academy is categorically opposed to any form of abuse, harassment or discrimination on the basis of gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, disability, age, religion, or nationality.” Smith’s act of aggression against Rock on the live telecast would seemingly fall into this category.
