After weeks of speculation, it appears the Academy has finally issued its ruling on Will Smith's actions at the Oscars. Many were wondering what exactly would be the appropriate punishment for Will Smith after slapping Chris Rock, or even if there was going to be a punishment at all. Well, it appears the Academy has made a decision that is sure to raise some eyebrows in Hollywood.
The Academy ultimately decided to ban Will Smith from attending the Oscars for ten years for his physical altercation against Rock after the latter mocked his wife Jada Pinkett Smith's new hairstyle. The slap was met with a shocked and later divisive response. While Will Smith, who later won Best Actor for his performance in King Richard, was applauded for seemingly defending his wife's honor, his handling of the situation was met with little approval afterward. Smith soon apologized to both Rock and the Academy and later resigned from the Academy, which hastened their time to make a decision regarding his actions.
David Rubin, president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) issued an official statement on the matter. “The Board has decided, for a period of 10 years from April 8, 2022, Mr. Smith shall not be permitted to attend any Academy events or programs, in person or virtually, including but not limited to the Academy Awards,” read the statement. After his ban was made public, Will Smith responded and fully acknowledged his punishment. "I accept and respect the Academy's decision," Smith soon said after AMPAS made their punishment public.
This announcement only serves as more bad news for Will Smith, whose upcoming projects both with Sony and Netflix are on pause in light of what transpired at the Oscars. Other projects surrounding Will Smith like Emancipation are still a-go as of now, but this recent punishment may very well throw a wrench into those plans as well. Because Will Smith has garnered this bad publicity in recent weeks, there's no telling how many more projects with him may be put on pause. Or worse, cancelled.
Situations like these can be very difficult to assess. Will Smith definitely deserved punishment for what he did, but it won't be surprising in the slightest if there are some in show business who will go on the record saying it was too harsh. We have to keep in mind that children pay attention to these award ceremonies too, and they always need to be taught that violence is never the answer in these situations even if it's for selfless reasons. This punishment will get that message across, but there will probably be a debate surrounding whether it was overkill.
What also makes this difficult to gauge is that in recent years, plenty of figures in Hollywood have been exposed for abusing their power over years and even decades. Will Smith's actions were wrong, but they were in the heat of the moment, and if he had been thinking clearly, maybe he would have stopped himself before doing anything that drastic. With Will Smith getting the punishment he just got for a one-time mistake, those who have done much worse deserve a much more amplified punishment, to put it bluntly.
King Richard can currently be watched on HBO Max.
Source: Deadline