Will Smith Faces Disciplinary Actions; The Academy To Suspend & Expel Him

The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences released a statement that actor Will Smith was asked to leave Sunday’s Oscar ceremony after hitting Chris Rock. But he refused to do so. But the actor is facing the consequences as the academy’s board of governors had a meeting to initiate disciplinary proceedings against Smith for violations of the group’s standards of conduct.

The academy said disciplinary action for Smith could include suspension, expulsion or other sanctions. As we know, the social media had a heated argument wondering why Smith was allowed to remain seated in the front row in the Dolby Theatre after the incident. On Wednesday, the academy reveals that it attempted to remove the actor from the audience. “Things unfolded in a way we could not have anticipated,” the academy said.

“While we would like to clarify that Mr Smith was asked to leave the ceremony and refused, we also recognise we could have handled the situation differently.” After Smith struck Rock in response to a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, several stars including Denzel Washington, Bradley Cooper and Tyler Perry spoke with the 53-year-old Smith. The academy said Smith has the opportunity to defend himself in a written response before the board meets again on April 18.

“Mr Smith’s actions at the 94th Oscars were a deeply shocking, traumatic event to witness in-person and on television,” the academy said. It further thanked and apologized to Chris Rock for his resilience at the moment. “We also apologize to our nominees, guests and viewers for what transpired during what should have been a celebratory event.” Meanwhile, Rock performed stand-up Wednesday night in Boston and he was greeted by a thunderous standing ovation. During the event, he said he is still processing the Oscars incident.

A member of the academy’s board of governors confirmed that they are not going to take that Oscar from Smith as Oscars won by expelled members haven’t previously been ordered to be returned. For the unversed, a few who were earlier expelled by The Academy are Harvey Weinstein, Roman Polanski, Bill Cosby and the actor Carmine Caridi.