Will Smith’s decision to slap fellow actor and comedian Chris Rock at the Oscar’s Awards show has come back to haunt him in many ways. Movie production for Bad Boys 4 has been placed on hold, and Netflix has canceled an upcoming film they were working on. Along with other repercussions, The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences decided on what the “punishment” for Will would be. They made the decision to ban him for 10 years from anything related to the Oscar’s.
In a letter obtain by PEOPLE from the Academy President and CEO, they wrote: “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,”
They went on to speak about Smith being banned saying, “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,”
The letter also included a special thanks to Chris Rock for keeping his cool during the incident.
“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.”
A rep for Will Smith says that he accepts the decision the Academy made. I wonder if Jada regrets celebrating after Will slapped Chris. She is going to discuss what went down on Red Table Talk of course. WebCelebDaily will keep you updated as this rabbit hole gets deeper.
