Oscars starts proceedings against Will Smith
DAYS after Will smith slapped Chris rock during the 94th oscars telecast last sunday, the board of governors of the Academy of Motion picture Arts and sciences (oscars) held an emergency meeting to discuss the consequences for the best actor winner. He now faces “suspension, expulsion, or other sanctions permitted”.
The statement from the academy is highly damning, citing the standards of conduct and smith’s violations of “inappropriate physical contact, abusive or threatening behaviour and compromising the integrity of the academy”. smith, who won the oscar for best actor for
King Richard not long after the slap, has been given 15 days’ notice of a vote regarding his violations and sanctions, and has the opportunity to provide a written response. The next board meeting is scheduled for April 18, when the academy may take disciplinary action.
one notable new bit of information is the academy stating they asked Will smith to leave the Dolby Theatre, but smith refused to do so. one of the biggest bits of scrutiny regarding the handling of the moment was smith not being removed from the auditorium. The academy has offered clarification saying smith was asked to leave, but refused.
“We also recognise we could have handled the situation differently,” the academy statement read.
The organisation also offered a formal apology to rock, the other nominees who attended the ceremony and the viewers at home and in person who witnessed the event. The letter states “Mr rock, we apologise to you for what you experienced on our stage and thank you for your resilience in that moment. We also apologise to our nominees, guests and viewers for what transpired during what should have been a celebratory event.”
Monday evening, a letter from academy president David rubin and academy CEo Dawn Hudson went out to the entire membership. The leadership shared their “outrage” regarding smith’s actions and how it “overshadowed” the evening where films such as Coda and Dune walked away with the most awards. — Variety.