The Academy has made a decision in the Will Smith and Chris Rock slapping incident. It has been stated that the actor has been banned from the prestigious award show for ten years.
According to a statement released by Academy, “The actor is banned from any events or programs, in person or virtually, including but not limited to the Academy Awards for 10 years.”
This decision comes after they moved their meeting to April 8th to see what actions they will take against Smith in the wake of Smith slapping Rock on the March 27th show.
Academy President David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson said in a joint statement;
“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.”
It went on to say, “This action we are taking today in response to Will Smith’s behavior is a step toward a large goal of protecting the safety of our performers and guests and restoring trust in the Academy. We also hope this can begin a time of healing and restoration for all involved and impacted.”
This news comes a week after Smith announced that he was resigning from Academy. What are your thoughts on this?