Academy Decides: Will Smith Banned from Oscars Ceremony for Next ten Years after Chris Rock Slap
Addressing Rock and the hosts Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes, Regina Hall and Sykes, Rubin, and Hudson, Rubin wrote: “We want to express our deep gratitude to Mr. Rock, for maintaining his composure in extraordinary circumstances. We want to thank all our presenters, nominees, winners, and hosts for their grace and poise during the telecast.
“This is an action we took today to respond to Will Smith’s behavior. It is a step towards a bigger goal of protecting the safety and security of our performers and guests and restoring trust within the Academy. We hope that this will be the beginning of healing and restoration for everyone involved and impacted.
Smith, 53, stated via his representative that he accepted and respected the Academy’s decision.
Although originally scheduled for April 18, was moved up to April 8 after Smith officially resigned from Academy. David Rubin, Academy president, made efforts to speed up the process for possible sanctions. He wrote in a memo that “It’s in everyone’s best interests for this to be done in a timely manner.”
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