Could Will Smith lose his Oscar?
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has said it “condemns” Will Smith’s assault on Chris Rock during the Oscars as fans called for his award to be revoked.
Smith sent shockwaves through the entertainment industry and sparked intense debate online after slapping the comedian following an off-colour joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith.
The organisation behind the annual awards ceremony initially said it condoned violence of any kind without direct mention of Smith, but has since made its disapproval of his actions much clearer, as reported by 9Honey.
They have also said they have launched a formal review into the incident.
“The Academy condemns the actions of Mr Smith at last night’s show,” a spokesperson for the organisation said.
“We have officially started a formal review around the incident and will explore further action and consequences in accordance with our Bylaws, Standards of Conduct and California law.”
Per the NZHerald, organisers of the awards held emergency Zoom talks to discuss stripping Smith of his Best Actor Oscar, which he received shortly after the incident for his role in King Richard.
Bosses of the Oscars are reportedly split over whether to take away Smith’s trophy since his actions broke a new code of conduct the Academy drew up following the #MeToo movement and the sex crimes of Harvey Weinstein.
“Once the ceremony was over they called in key members to hold an emergency meeting about what action they should take,” one source told The Sun.
“There have been calls to have Will stripped of his Best Actor gong. They cannot be seen to be condoning violence in any way and there are some people in the Academy who believe they should remove the award from him to make a point. Others however believe he should be allowed to hold on to it.”
Smith has also taken to social media to address the incident.
However, the Men in Black actor failed to mention Rock, just like his apology during his winning speech on the night.
The video, posted on his Instagram account, shows Smith and his wife coming together and posing in a series of stills with a popular voiceover playing over the top.
“Good morning everyone. God let me live another day and I’m about to make it everyone’s problem,” the voiceover said.
It was accompanied with the caption, “Me ‘n Jada Pinkett Smith got all dressed up to choose chaos.”
Though Smith could face some form of disciplinary action from the Academy, Rock has reportedly declined to file a police report.
The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) confirmed as much in a statement, and that a report could be completed in the future if Rock changes his mind.
“LAPD investigative entities are aware of an incident between two individuals during the Academy Awards program,” the LAPD said in a statement.
“The incident involved one individual slapping another. The individual involved has declined to file a police report. If the involved party desires a police report at a later date, LAPD will be available to complete an investigative report.”
Meanwhile, other celebrities have weighed in on what could happen to Smith, including Oscar winner Whoopi Goldberg.
Goldberg spoke about the slap on The View, saying Smith “overreacted”.
“I think it was a lot of stuff probably built up,” Goldberg said, noting that the couple had been the subject of jokes for many years.
“I think he overreacted.
“I think he had one of those moments where it was like [goddamn it], just stop. I get it, not everybody acts the way we would like them to act under pressure. And he snapped.”
Though there have been calls for his Oscar to be taken back, Goldberg predicted that wouldn’t happen, especially since Rock hasn’t pressed charges.
Since Harvey Weinstein also hasn’t had his Oscars taken back, it seems unlikely the Academy will decide to take that kind of action either.
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