Will Smith banned from Oscars

Last Updated on: 23rd April 2022, 12:35 am

In an official statement, the Academy announced that Will Smith will be banned from attending and receiving nominations for the next ten years, with the ban coming into effect on April 8th, 2022, meaning Smith won’t be eligible for nomination until 2032 when he will be 63 years old.

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The statement reads,

“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.

During our telecast, we did not adequately address the situation in the room. For this, we are sorry. This was an opportunity for us to set an example for our guests, viewers and our Academy family around the world, and we fell sort – unprepared for the unprecedented.

Today, the Board of Governors convened a meeting to discuss how best to respond to Will Smith’s actions at the Oscars, in addition to accepting his resignation. 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.

We want to express our deep gratitude to Mr. Rock for maintaining his composure under extraordinary circumstances. We also want to thank our hosts, nominees, presenters and winners for their poise and grace during our telecast.

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.”

The now infamous slap heard around the world took place on March 27th after Chris Rock made a joke about Will Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, regarding his hair loss due to alopecia.

This led Will Smith to get on stage and slap him in front of the audience before returning to his seat and repeatedly telling Rock, “Keep my wife’s name out of your ******* mouth”.

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Will Smith has since apologized, telling Deadline: “I accept and respect the Academy’s decision.”