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• Smith will be banned till April 8, 2032, from attending any Academy events
• Actor resigned from the organization on April 1
Hollywood film academy on Friday said it is banning Will Smith for 10 years from attending any of its events, including the Oscars, after this year’s best actor winner slapped the presenter Chris Rock on stage at the Academy Awards ceremony.
“The 94th Oscars were meant to be a celebration of the many individuals in our community who did incredible work this past year,” Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) President David Rubin and Chief Executive Dawn Hudson said in a statement.
“However, those moments were overshadowed by the unacceptable and harmful behavior we saw Mr. Smith exhibit on stage.”
The board of governors at the organization said 10 years from April 8, 2022, Smith would not be “permitted to attend any Academy events or programs, in person or virtually, including but not limited to the Academy Awards.”
Smith has already resigned from the Academy on April 1 and issued statements apologizing to Rock, the Oscars producers, nominees, and viewers.
At the 94th Oscars ceremony on March 27, Smith walked up to the stage and smacked Rock after the comedian and the presenter of the event made a joke about the actor’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.
Academy earlier said that Smith was asked to leave the ceremony, but he refused and remained at the Dolby Theater to accept the award for best actor.
The actor gave a tearful speech on stage after accepting the award for his role in “King Richard.”
Picture Credit: Variety