Last year, the Oscars had three women host the shindig, this year, they asked Jimmy Kimmel back to host for the third time. Neither one of those decisions were a wise choice.
“Being invited to host the Oscars for a third time is either a great honor or a trap. Either way, I am grateful to the Academy for asking me so quickly after everyone good said ‘no,’” said Kimmel.
Seriously, it feels like everyone said no and they settled on him because he said yes. Like what about Alfonso Ribeiro, Wayne Brady, and even Will Smith? Oh wait, the last one is not allowed to go to the Oscars for ten years. He is the lucky one this time around.
Less than two weeks after Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars, the Academy of Motion Pictures, Arts and Sciences has come up with a punishment for the disgraced actor.
Smith will have to spend the next ten years watching the Oscars from home like almost every other actor in the biz. He also will not be allowed to attend any Academy event during that time.
AMPAS gave this statement to Variety:
“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.”
So, now that Smith cannot attend the Oscars, is he still eligible to be nominated and possibly win another one. Yes, he is, and yes, he can.
Personally, I think he needs to hold a press conference, give a heartfelt apology (not like his BS acceptance speech with crocodile tears), and hand back his Oscar. Then he can get a fake one on Hollywood Blvd and no one will be the wiser that it is not the real thing.
Five days after Will Smith ruined the Oscars by slapping Chris Rock over a stupid joke, he has had made a decision about his future with the Academy. The disgraced actor sent a letter to AMPAS and has resigned as a member.
I have directly responded to the Academy’s disciplinary hearing notice, and I will fully accept any and all consequences for my conduct. My actions at the 94th Academy Awards presentation were shocking, painful, and inexcusable. The list of those I have hurt is long and includes Chris, his family, many of my dear friends and loved ones, all those in attendance, and global audiences at home. I betrayed the trust of the Academy. I deprived other nominees and winners of their opportunity to celebrate and be celebrated for their extraordinary work. I am heartbroken. I want to put the focus back on those who deserve attention for their achievements and allow the Academy to get back to the incredible work it does to support creativity and artistry in film. So, I am resigning from membership in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and will accept any further consequences the Board deems appropriate.
Change takes time and I am committed to doing the work to ensure that I never again allow violence to overtake reason.
I wonder what finally made him decide to do it. Was it the interviews and comments by the people who worked on the show where they claim he traumatized them? All that Chris Rock did to save his ass on Sunday night, and how Rock has taken the high road when he performed live this week? Or did he realize there is no way to come back after Sunday unless he starts showing some humility?
The Academy of Motion Pictures, Arts and Sciences has broken their silence about Sunday’s incident with Will Smith slapping Chris Rock and what Smith’s future might be with them.
However, the biggest reveal is that Smith was asked to leave the Oscars but refused to do so.
The Board of Governors today initiated disciplinary proceedings against Mr. Smith for violations of the Academy’s Standards of Conduct, including inappropriate physical contact, abusive or threatening behavior, and compromising the integrity of the Academy.
Consistent with the Academy’s Standards of Conduct, as well as California law, Mr. Smith is being provided at least 15 days’ notice of a vote regarding his violations and sanctions, and the opportunity to be heard beforehand by means of a written response. At the next board meeting on April 18, the Academy may take any disciplinary action, which may include suspension, expulsion, or other sanctions permitted by the Bylaws and Standards of Conduct.
Mr. Smith’s actions at the 94th Oscars were a deeply shocking, traumatic event to witness in-person and on television. Mr. Rock, we apologize to you for what you experienced on our stage and thank you for your resilience in that moment. We also apologize to our nominees, guests and viewers for what transpired during what should have been a celebratory event.
Things unfolded in a way we could not have anticipated. While we would like to clarify that Mr. Smith was asked to leave the ceremony and refused, we also recognize we could have handled the situation differently.
This makes Smith look even worse and more of a dick.
Could the Academy have done better? Yes. But, if Smith was refusing to leave, calling in security to physically remove him would have disrupted the live show.
They would have had to stop the ceremony and caused an unknown delay to the viewers at home. And who knows how Smith would’ve reacted? He was already violent that night. He could have been worse.
This new fact convinces me even more so that he should hand back his statuette and be expelled from AMPAS.
Wanda Sykes is going to be on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on April 7th, but she taped her appearance yesterday. The first question Ellen asked her was about the slap heard around the world at the Oscars.
Sykes told the host she was preparing to do a costume change when Will Smith slapped Chris Rock, so she didn’t see it happen. However, everyone backstage was in shock and could not believe what had just transpired, including the Oscars host.
Sykes said when she was shown what happened, she said she “just felt so awful for my friend Chris. And it was sickening, absolutely sickening. I physically felt ill, and I’m still a little traumatized by it.”
She was also sickened by the fact that the Academy let Smith stay at the Oscars and accept his award for Best Actor. She thought, “how gross is this. This is the wrong message.”
Had AMPAS made the correct decision to kick him out, Sykes would’ve joked, “Will couldn’t be here tonight…”
Then Sykes added that she thinks Smith owes her, Amy Schumer, and Regina Hall an apology because the three of them “worked really hard to put that show together.” And with in less than one minute, he destroyed everything that they did that night.
While Smith did not apologize to her, Rock did. Sykes says that she saw Rock at a party, and “the first thing he said was, ‘I’m so sorry.’ I am like, ‘Why are you apologizing?’ He’s like, ‘It was supposed to be your night. You, and Amy and Regina, y’all were doing such a great job; I’m so sorry this is now going to be about this.’ Because that’s who Chris is.”
Syke’s cohost Schumer also weighed in with, “Still triggered and traumatized. I love my friend @chrisrock and believe he handled it like a pro. Stayed up there and gave an Oscar to his friend @questlove and the whole thing was so disturbing. So much pain in @willsmith anyway I’m still in shock and stunned and sad. Im proud of myself and my cohosts. But yeah. Waiting for this sickening feeling to go away from what we all witnessed.”
When Smith comes out of hiding, he is going to need to do a lot of apologizing, along with soul searching. I hope he is doing the latter because he has rightfully burned a lot of bridges.
