After punching comedian Chris Rock on stage for making fun of his wife Jada Pinkett Smith, Will Smith has been forbidden from attending any Academy functions, including the Oscars, for ten years.
After meeting in Los Angeles to discuss possible sanctions, the board of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which organizes the Oscars, issued the announcement today, April 8.
“The Board has decided that Mr. Smith will not be authorized to attend any Academy events or programs, in person or digitally, for a period of ten years beginning April 8, 2022,” Academy President David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson said in a statement on Friday.
“The 94th Academy Awards were supposed to be a celebration of the many people in our community who accomplished tremendous work this year; yet, those moments were overshadowed by the disrespectful and hurtful behavior we saw Mr. Smith demonstrate on stage,” the statement continued.
“We did not appropriately address the issue in the room during our telecast.” We apologize about this. We had a chance to set an example for our guests, fans, and Academy family throughout the world, but we failed miserably – unprepared for the unprecedented.”
Smith, 53, had previously resigned his membership in the Academy, giving up his voting rights, and stated that he would accept any repercussions before the disciplinary hearing.
The board had planned to meet on April 18, but moved it up to deal with the situation “as soon as possible” after the actor’s resignation.