This both sounds excessive and pretty light. So it’s probably just right. Today The Academy of Motion Pictures and Arts and Sciences decided to take action against Will Smith for his infamous slap of presenter Chris Rock at the recent Academy Awards ceremony. While he has already resigned from the Academy preemptively, Smith will now also be banned from attending all Academy events, which includes the Oscars, for 10 years.
CEO Dawn Hudson and President David Rubin expressed to members their dismay at not adequately responding to the incident in the moment it happened. They also thanked Rock for not acting a fool and making things worse after he was slapped. He very well could have.
The Academy didn’t take back Smith’s Oscar for Best Actor, as some thought they might. That would have been excessive, in my book.
Here’s the full statement to Academy members:
“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 short — 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.”
