While it’s been nearly two weeks since the infamous Will Smith/Chris Rock slap incident occurred at the 2022 Oscars, the Academy has finally handed down its reprimands for the King Richard star.
After a nearly three-hour long Board of Governors meeting on Friday, per an official “Open Letter to Our Academy Family” from Academy President David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson sent to The Root, the Academy has decided to officially ban Smith from attending “any Academy events or programs, in person or virtually, including but not limited to the Academy Awards” in addition to accepting his resignation from the prestigious membership.
“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,” the letter began. “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.”
