Will Smith has been in hot water ever since the night of the 94th annual Academy Awards.
The actor made headlines around the world both during and after the event's March 27th
broadcast because of his decision to walk onto the Oscars' main stage and smack Chris
Rock in response to a quip made by the comedian about Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.
In the aftermath of the slap, Smith did not leave the event and actually won his first
Oscar mere minutes later for his performance in "King Richard."
The following day, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences opened a formal review into
Smith's behavior, while Smith himself issued a public apology to Rock, calling his actions,
quote, "inexcusable."
A few days later, on April 1st, Smith took the drastic step of resigning from the Academy
and pledged to accept any further consequences that the organization might have for him.
While the Academy accepted his resignation, its president, David Rubin, noted that disciplinary
proceedings against the "King Richard" star were still being conducted and that the results
of them would be determined when the Academy's board of governors next convened.
Now, several weeks after the actual Oscars broadcast, the headline-dominating story seems
to have reached some kind of conclusion.
On Friday, April 8th, the Academy announced that it has decided to ban Smith from the
Oscars and other Academy-run events for the next 10 years.
In a letter to its members, the Academy's leadership announced its decision and referred
to Smith's behavior at the awards ceremony as, quote, "unacceptable and harmful."
On the same day that the Academy announced its decision to ban him from the Oscars for
the next 10 years, Will Smith gave a short but clear statement about the ruling, telling
Page Six,
"I accept and respect the Academy's decision."
Following Friday's all-hands virtual meeting, which was held 10 days earlier than planned,
the Academy's board of governors issued its decision in a joint statement given by Academy
president David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson.
In the statement, Hudson and Rubin note,
"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."
The Academy's leadership also expressed gratitude in their statement to Chris Rock for maintaining
his, quote, "composure under extraordinary circumstances" and apologized for the organization's
lack of action on the night of the ceremony.
His Oscars ban means that, among other things, Smith will not be allowed to present the award
for best actress at the 2023 Oscars ceremony.
That honor is traditionally given at every Oscars broadcast to the previous year's best
actor winner.
The shocking penalty also comes a week after Smith willingly tendered his resignation from
the Academy.
The opinions surrounding Will Smith's decision to slap Chris Rock at the Oscars, as well
as the Academy's handling of the situation over the past few weeks, continue to be varied.
That remains true in the wake of the Academy's decision to ban Will Smith from all of its
events for the next decade.
While there are undoubtedly some people who are happy with the Academy's decision to punish
Smith for his behavior, there are also others who have taken issue with the severity of
the punishment itself.
For instance, on Twitter, one user wrote,
"Will Smith['s] ten year oscar ban seems dramatic."
While another tweeted,
"I really feel like people have been waiting to catch Will Smith slipping for YEARS and
now is their chance to crush him.
A decade long ban is nuts."
Many other users were also quick to call out the Academy for deciding to ban Smith but
not the several other previous Oscar winners and current Academy members who have behaved
notoriously badly in the past.
All of this is to say that it looks like the discussion surrounding this controversy is
going to continue to remain divisive in the coming weeks, months, and years.
Unfortunately, that also probably means that the discussion itself will continue to overshadow
the several historic wins and achievements that were honored at the 2022 Academy Awards.
Notably, while he has been banned from attending any Academy event for the next 10 years, Smith
will still be eligible to be nominated and win Oscars for any film performances he gives
moving forward.
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