Will Smith banned from the Oscars for 10 years

The Academy decided Friday to ban Will Smith from participating in any party or event it will organize for a period of ten years, in retaliation for the slap in the face of the American actor to comedian Chris Rock at the award ceremony of this highest cinematic award at the end of last month.

The Board of Directors of the Academy of Film Arts and Sciences wrote during a meeting held Friday that it had decided “not to allow Smith to participate in any event or program organized by the Academy, in person or by default.”

The Academy approved Will Smith’s resignation request last week, but has not withdrawn the Best Actor Oscar he received last month for his role in “King Richard.” Nor did the Academy announce that it would block Smith’s nomination for Oscars in the coming years.

Academy President David Rubin and CEO Don Hudson indicated in the letter that the ban period extends for ten years, starting from April 8, 2022. It includes all activities organized by the Academy, not just the Oscar party.

Academy judges met Friday morning to discuss actions against Smith, and board members Whoopi Goldberg and Steven Spielberg were among those invited to rule on the actor’s fate.

He was originally scheduled to meet with senior officials of Hollywood’s most prominent executive body to discuss the suspension or expulsion of Smith from the Academy, but he preemptively resigned from the group.

Representatives are not required to be members of the Academy to receive nominations, although each year nominees and winners are chosen by voting for them by Academy members.

Smith was stunned during the live broadcast of the Oscars on March 27, when he climbed the stage to slap host Chris Rock due to his dissatisfaction with a humorous joke about his wife Jayda Smith against the background of her shaved head, which roiled the atmosphere of the ceremony and negatively affected the rest of the winners.