The Academy of Motion Pictures Bans Will Smith for 10 Years After "The Slap Seen Around the World"!
Well, we knew some form of punishment was coming and, hopefully this is the end of the whole debacle. Will Smith has been officially banned from the Oscars for the next ten years after slapping comedian Chris Rock on live television. Smith apologized to The Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences during his acceptance speech when he won the award for Best Lead Actor but, he didn't apologize to Rock.
Not until the next day. Smith took to his Instagram page to say that "Violence" is "destructive" and said that his actions were "Unacceptable and inexcusable". A day later, Smith resigned from his position with The Academy after saying he would accept any other consequences that might arise.
Well, here come the consequences. In a statement released today The Academy handed down their punishment saying in part:
“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"
Let's hope that, after this, we won't have to hear about this subject anymore. This country has more pressing issues at hand.
