The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the organization behind the Oscars, said in a statement that it has launched disciplinary proceedings against actor Will Smith.
The statement also shows that The Academy on Sunday asked Smith to leave after he punched presenter Chris Rock. Comedian Rock had recently joked that Smith’s wife had compared actress Jada Pinkett-Smith to the shaved Demi Moore in the film. GI Jane† However, Smith’s wife suffers from alopecia, which causes hair loss.
Will Smith refused to leave the ceremony, saying the Academy “could have handled the situation differently”. Viewers not only saw live how Smith dealt a punch, but also how he received his Oscar for best male lead for his contribution to the biopic not much later. King Richard, a price that was already fixed prior to the ceremony. In his reception speech, Smith tearfully apologized, saying, among other things, that “love makes you do crazy things.”
Also read: Hard jokes remain difficult at the Oscar gala
The board of The Academy will meet on April 18 and decide on measures. That could be, for example, a suspension or expulsion of Will Smith from The Academy. The actor has 15 days to respond in writing.
It is unclear whether there is a chance that Smith will have to hand in his Oscar. For example, Harvey Weinstein, who was convicted of rape and assault, was expelled from The Academy in 2017 but kept the Oscar he received for his work as a producer of Shakespeare in Love† Chris Rock did not file a complaint against Smith after the ceremony.