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Academy 'condemns' Will Smith's slap incident at Oscars; To conduct 'formal review'
Sunday night’s Will Smith incident at the 2022 Oscars will not be fading away quietly.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has made a statement after a chaotic Oscar broadcast in which Will Smith slapped presenter Chris Rock in the face over a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith's hair.
“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, the statement reads as per The Hollywood Reporter. The issue is anticipated to be discussed in further depth at the Academy's next full board of governors meeting. The first post-Oscars board meeting usually includes a post-mortem of the event and tackles any concerns that surfaced during it.
As per THR, Smith will very certainly face some kind of punishment, maybe the suspension of his Academy membership, as many Academy members are clamouring for, but not the revocation of his best actor Oscar. For those unversed, during Sunday night's live broadcast, Smith slapped presenter Chris Rock while he was on stage in one of the most startling incidents in the awards show's history, in response to a joke intended at wife Jada Pinkett Smith. The comedian made a G.I. Jane joke on Pinkett Smith's bald head (the actress has alopecia).
When Smith returned to his seat, Rock said to the crowd, "Will Smith just knocked the sh** out of me." Once back in his seat, Smith yelled to Rock, “Keep my wife’s name out of your f***ing mouth!” Shortly later, Smith was elected best picture winner for King Richard, and upon accepting his first-ever Oscar, he apologised to the Academy and his fellow candidates; he did not, however, apologise to Rock. Following the show, the Academy issued a statement declaring that it "does not condone violence in any form."
