Will Smith has been banned from the Oscars for 10 years

According to a decision issued by the Hollywood Academy, on Friday, the eighth, actor Will Smith was banned from attending all events organized by the institution, including the Academy Awards, for 10 years, as punishment for the slap he gave to Chris Rock in the 2022 awards.

The decision does not prevent Will Smith from running for the award in this period, nor does it take away the statuette he won for Best Actor in 2022.

“I accept and respect the Academy’s decision,” Will Smith said in a statement sent to US media.

Read below the letter from Academy President David Rubin regarding the decision:

“The 94th Academy Awards were meant to be a celebration of the many individuals in our community who have done an amazing job in the past year; however, those moments were overshadowed by the unacceptable and malicious behavior we saw Mr. Smith show on stage.

During the broadcast, we didn’t touch enough on the situation in the room. So we’re sorry. This was an opportunity for us to set an example for our guests, viewers and the Academy family around the world, and we failed – unprepared for this unprecedented event.

Today the Board of Directors held a meeting to discuss how best to respond to Will Smith’s actions at the Oscars, as well as accept his resignation. The Board decided, for a period of 10 years, effective April 8, 2022, that Mr. Smith may not participate in any event or program of the Academy, in person or virtually, including but not limited to the Academy Awards.

We want to express our deepest gratitude to Mr. Rock to maintain his composure in exceptional circumstances. We also want to thank our hosts, nominees, broadcasters and winners for their poise and agility during the broadcast.

The 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 artists and guests and restoring confidence in the Academy. We also hope that this will begin a time of healing and recovery for all concerned and affected.”

With information from G1

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