Will Smith refused to leave the Oscars
After slapping comedian Chris Rock, Will Smith was asked by the Academy to leave the event – to no avail. Now Rock has also commented on the incident for the first time.
Apparently refusing to leave his front row seat: Will Smith with his wife Jada Pinkett. (March 27, 2022)
AFP/Robyn Beck
The Oscar Academy is moving quickly into action. Just two days after the slap scandal on the Oscar stage, the board of directors meets and takes Hollywood star Will Smith to court. Disciplinary proceedings will be initiated against the “King Richard” actor, the film association announced in a statement on Wednesday (local time). Smith’s conduct at Sunday’s awards gala violated the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Code of Conduct.
Smith gave Chris Rock a resounding slap in the face onstage at the show after the comedian made a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett. It was about her shaved head, the actress suffers from pathological hair loss. Back in his seat, he shouted twice more in Rock’s direction: “Don’t put my wife’s name in your damn mouth!”.
Will Smith gave Chris Rock a resounding slap in the face on stage after the comedian made a joke about Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett.
Photo: Chris Pizzello (AP / Keystone)
Guests at the Dolby Theater and millions of viewers on screen quickly realized that this shocking moment was not a planned part of the show. A little later, Smith won the Oscar for best actor for his role in «King Richard». In his acceptance speech, he presented himself as a protector and seemed to want to defend the failure. On Monday he apologized via Instagram. The incident is embarrassing for him.
“Could have handled the situation differently”
Smith’s behavior was described as “deeply shocking” and “traumatic” by the Film Academy on Wednesday. A surprising revelation: Smith was asked to leave the gala on Sunday evening. But he did not comply. The association expressed itself critically: “We could have dealt with the situation differently”. The next meeting is scheduled for April 18th. One possible consequence is Smith’s expulsion from the Academy, the statement said.
This has rarely happened in the history of the Oscars. In 2004, actor Carmine Caridi was kicked out after 22 years of membership. He had passed on film tapes sent to him for Oscar judging. These then appeared on the Internet as pirated copies.
In 2017, Harvey Weinstein was expelled from the renowned association after allegations of sexual harassment. The ex-producer is now serving a long prison sentence. In 2018, comedian Bill Cosby was found guilty of sexual assault and director Roman Polanski for a sex offense in the 1970s.
The academy has over 10,000 film professionals, including actors, directors, producers, costume and set designers. Most of them vote for the Oscar winners each year.
Chris Rock speaks for the first time
Following Wednesday’s emergency meeting, the Academy also issued an apology to Chris Rock, guests and viewers. They wanted to apologize for what happened to the comedian on their stage and thank him for his resilience, the statement said.
Rock, who initially did not comment publicly after the incident, was on stage in Boston on Wednesday evening with his comedy show “Ego Death Tour”. There the 57-year-old was greeted with thunderous applause, as the film sheet “Variety” reported. He would still “process” the Oscar incident and address it at a later date. “And it’s going to be serious and fun,” the comedian said, according to Variety. According to the newspaper, ticket sales for Rock’s performances have multiplied.
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