The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences officially criticized Will Smith’s conduct at Sunday night’s Oscars. The action comes after Smith slapped Chris Rock during the live broadcast on Sunday night when the comedian—who was presenting the Best Documentary—made remark about Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head, which is due to her alopecia. Smith later subtly apologized to the Academy onstage shortly after receiving an Oscar for Best Actor in his role as Richard Williams in King Richard.
The statement goes as the following:
“The Academy condemns the actions of Mr. Smith at last night’s show. We have officially started a formal review around the incident and will explore further action and consequences in accordance with our Bylaws, Standards of Conduct, and California law.”
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the officers of The Academy’s board of governors, including president David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson, called for an emergency meeting concerning the incident. They are expected to conduct a thorough investigation of what occurred.
During the incident, Oscars producer Will Packer tweeted his reaction.
Earlier Monday afternoon, Packer tweeted in response to the backlash of his original post.
A source told CNN, “Academy leadership strongly considered removing Will Smith from last night’s broadcast following the incident. There were immediate discussions, but the Academy decision-makers were seated in various spots in the Dolby Theater and couldn’t mobilize to make a decision before he won best actor.”
Smith will most likely face some sort of punishment, maybe the suspension of his Academy membership or maybe even the revocation of his Oscar though that doesn’t seem as likely as the other punishment could be.
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