Within the span of two weeks, Will Smith has gone from finally winning his first Oscar to getting banned from the awards show for a decade.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Friday that Smith won't be allowed to attend any Academy events, including the Oscars, for 10 years. The move comes in response to Smith slapping comedian Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars over a joke about his wife.
Days after the Oscars incident, the Academy opened a review into Smith, warning it could take disciplinary action against him. One option would be to expel him from the Academy, but Smith got ahead of the process by voluntarily stepping down, saying he would "accept any further consequences the board deems appropriate." This meant he would no longer be able to vote on the Oscars, but it wouldn't prevent him from attending the show or being nominated.
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On Friday, the Academy's Board of Governors met to discuss Smith's fate and decided his exit from the organization was not enough.
"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," Academy President David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson said. "We also hope this can begin a time of healing and restoration for all involved and impacted."
As the winner of Best Actor, Smith would ordinarily be invited back to next year's Oscars to present an award. He also has a film scheduled for release this year, Emancipation, that was expected to be a potential awards contender in 2023.
The Academy has faced criticism for not removing Smith during the event, and in the Friday statement, Rubin and Hudson acknowledged they "did not adequately address the situation in the room," and "for this, we are sorry."
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