Will Smith Allegedly Refused to Leave When Academy Asked Him To
After Will Smith slapped Chris Rock for a joke made about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, at the Oscars Sunday (March 27), many were surprised that he was allowed to stay at the ceremony and to make an acceptance speech when he won the Best Actor award, minutes later. Today, the Academy claims that they asked Smith to leave following the incident.
“Things unfolded in a way we could not have anticipated,” The Academy told the Associated Press Wednesday, per Page Six. “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.”
Earlier this week, the Academy tweeted out that they do not “condone violence of any form” seemingly targeting the King Richard actor.
The Academy does not condone violence of any form.
— The Academy (@TheAcademy) March 28, 2022
Tonight we are delighted to celebrate our 94th Academy Awards winners, who deserve this moment of recognition from their peers and movie lovers around the world.
The Academy will be reviewing Smith's actions but it might “take a few weeks.”
“To be clear, we condemn Mr. Smith’s actions that transpired Sunday night. As outlined in our bylaws, the Academy’s Board of Governors will now make a determination on appropriate action for Mr. Smith,” The Academy said in a statement today (March 30) per The Hollywood Reporter. “As governed by California law regarding members of nonprofit organizations like the Academy, and set forth in our Standards of Conduct, this must follow an official process that will take a few weeks,” they said in a statement.
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