Will Smith Banned From Oscars For 10 Years Over Chris Rock Slap

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has levied their punishment against Will Smith for slapping Chris Rock, banning him from events including the Oscars for 10 years. The Academy’s Board of Governors announced on Friday (per Deadline that Smith will not be able to attend the Oscars or any other Academy events of programs, either in person or virtually, for the next 10 years starting from today’s date.

Smith said in a statement soon after the announcement, “I accept and respect the Academy’s decision.”

The decision comes after Smith resigned from the organization due to the slap, which took place at the 94th Academy Awards after Rock made a bald joke about Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett-Smith. Pinkett-Smith has alopecia, which she has spoken publicly about her emotional struggles with. The slap became the most talked about part of the Oscars, especially after Smith won the Best Actor award for his role in King Richard shortly after. His acceptance speech was criticized by many for failing to strike a properly apologetic tone and having elements of self-justification in it. Smith apologized to the Academy and his fellow nominees but not Rock; he finally publicly apologized to Rock later.

The Academy received criticism for not removing Smith from the ceremony and stated that Smith was asked to leave the ceremony and refused. Reports after have stated that it was suggested to Smith’s representation that he leave and when it was passed to Smith, he said he would like to stay and apologize.

The Academy’s decision does not prevent Smith from potentially being nominated for future Oscars during the 10 year period. Deadline reports that revoking Smith’s Oscar win was never considered a possibility and that other potential punishments discussed included a fine or even a lawsuit for damaging the Academy’s brand.

Notably, this means that next year’s Oscars will have to break with the tradition that the Best Actor winner hand out the next year’s Best Actress award.

Smith has potentially lost a few projects since the Oscars, including films with Netflix and Sony.

The full statement from AMPAS President David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson’s is below:

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.

Thank you