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.
What do you think?
