The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences has banned Will Smith from attending the Oscars for ten years. This news comes only a week after Smith resigned from the Academy after receiving backlash for his actions at the 94th Academy Awards on March 27. Comedian Chris Rock made a joke regarding Smith’s wife, Jada-Pinkett Smith’s hair loss due to Alopecia at the Oscars ceremony. This led to Smith walking onto the stage and slapping Rock across the face before sitting down and shouting expletives at the comedian. Smith won Best Actor later in the evening and apologized to the Academy and his fellow nominees. He apologized to Rock the next day. Despite Smith’s apologies, the film industry and the public have demanded consequences, which Variety reports the Academy has delivered in a ten-year ban from the Oscars and all Academy events.
Academy Speaks on Will Smith
A statement from the Academy reads:
Can Will Smith Recover After the Oscars
Several of Smith’s upcoming projects, including Bad Boys 4 and a biopic, are paused after the Oscars incident. There have been no updates in the sequel to I Am Legend, although that project was only announced weeks before the incident. Whether or not Will Smith can bounce back and get these projects going again is uncertain, although many Hollywood actors have moved forward and been forgiven after mistakes like this.
Smith has responded to the ban, saying, “I accept and respect the Academy’s decision.”
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