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Two weeks after Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the 94th Oscars, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has decided that the Best Actor winner, will be banned for 10 years. Meaning it will be a decade until the actor can attend the most prestigious award show in Hollywood.
On Friday, the Academy committee met virtually to discuss possible sanctions for the actor. A press release issued by Academy President David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson explained, "for a period of 10 years from April 8, 2022, Mr. Smith will not be allowed to attend any Academy event or program, in person or virtually, including but not limited to the Academy Awards,”
The directors recognized that they did not handle the situation in the correct way, for which they apologized and are now taking action so that, in the future, moments like this do not repeat themselves. “During our broadcast, we did not adequately address the situation in the room. We 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 unimaginable," they wrote.
In the message, the members of the committee addressed Rock, to whom they expressed their gratitude for continuing his job as host, despite the awkward moment. "We want to express our deep gratitude to Mr. Rock for maintaining his composure under the extraordinary circumstances." In the text, the committee members also referred to the other hostesses, Amy Schumer, Wanda Sykes and Regina Hall: “We also want to thank our presenters, nominees, presenters and winners for their poise and graciousness during the transmission.”
“This action, which we are taking today in response to Will Smith's behavior, is one step toward a larger goal of protecting the safety of our artists and guests, and restoring trust in the Academy. We also hope that this can be the start of a healing period for everyone involved."
According to People , the meeting was scheduled to take place on April 18, however, it has been brought forward to this Friday, April 8, because Smith formally resigned from the Academy on April 1, four days after of the incident.