Will Smith in his emotional Oscars speech
Photo: AFP via Getty Images, ROBYN BECK. All rights reserved.
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The Academy Awards will be held without Will Smith for the next ten years. Those responsible have now announced this. The ban, which was announced by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on April 8, 2022, applies until 2032 – both virtually and for personal appearances related to the prestigious award ceremony. Will Smith will be 63 years old in ten years.
The Academy will have no influence on this year’s Oscars decision, which was already made before the slap came on stage. Will Smith had accepted the award for best actor – just after he slapped Chris Rock for a joke about his wife in front of the cameras. However, he can keep his award. After the scandal, there were discussions as to whether the award could be recognized.
Will Smith: The Academy Statement in full
“The 94th Academy Awards should be a celebration of the many people in our community who have done incredible work over the past year; however, those moments were overshadowed by the unacceptable and harmful behavior displayed by Mr. Smith on stage. During our broadcast we did not adequately address the situation in the hall. We apologize for that. This was an opportunity for us to set a good example for our guests, viewers and our Academy family around the world, and we failed – unprepared for the unexpected. The Board of Directors has resolved that for a period of ten years beginning April 8, 2022, Mr. Smith shall not participate, in person or virtually, in any Academy event or program, including but not limited to the Academy Awards.
We would like to express our deep gratitude to Mr Rock for maintaining his composure in these extraordinary circumstances. We also want to thank our hosts, nominees, presenters and award winners for their composure and dignity during our television show.
The actions we are taking today in response to Will Smith’s behavior are a step towards a larger goal, which is to protect the safety of our artists and guests and restore trust in the Academy. We also hope that this can begin a time of healing and recovery for all involved and affected.”
Smith responded succinctly to the decision: “I accept and respect the Academy’s decision.”
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