10-Year Oscars Ban For Will Smith After Slapping Chris Rock On Stage

Will Smith got banned on Friday by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences for 10 years from attending the Oscars. This was 2 weeks after the actor stormed on stage mid-ceremony to slap Chris Rock, the comedian. This was mainly a disciplinary action taken due to the actor slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 Academy Awards. 

President David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson wrote, “The Board has decided, for a period of 10 years from April 8, 2022, Mr. Smith shall not be permitted to attend any Academy events or programs, in person or virtually, including but not limited to the Academy Awards.”

What Did Exactly Happen?

At the 94th Oscars, Smith slapped Chris Rock after he cracked a joke about his wife, actress Jada Pinkett Smith. Will straightly walked up to the stage and smacked Rock on the face. He also went on to win the Oscar for the Best Actor later that night.   

What Did The Academy Letter Mention?

The Board’s decisions were revealed in a letter from the Academy heads. The letter mentioned the verdict regarding the ban – ” The 94th Oscars were meant to be a celebration of the many individuals in our community who did incredible work this past year; however, those moments were overshadowed by the unacceptable and harmful behavior we saw Mr. Smith exhibit on stage.” 

It further continued “ This action we are taking today in response to Will Smith’s behavior is a step toward a larger goal of protecting the safety of our performers and guests, and restoring trust in the Academy. We also hope this can begin a time of healing and restoration for all involved and impacted. ”

More Deets On This

Smith also has been prohibited from attending any other events held by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences over the coming decade. However, the Academy governors convened on Friday morning in order to discuss the actions decided against Smith. The board members Steven Spielberg and Whoopi Goldberg were the lead decision-makers in terms of ruling on the actor’s face.

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