FILM ACADEMY BANS WILL SMITH FROM THE OSCARS FOR 10 YEARS

[JumpinJack AJ]

 

 

Film Academy Bans Will Smith From the Oscars for 10 Years After He Slapped Chris Rock – Report

 

Aleia Woods , Will has been banned from the Academy Awards.

According to The Hollywood Reporter on Friday (April 8), the Film Academy is reprimanding Will Smith after he slapped and yelled expletives at Chris Rock after Rock made a G.I. Jane-related joke, which was aimed towards Jada and the low haircut she was sporting at the award show due to her struggle with hair-loss caused by alopecia. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has ruled that the rapper-actor has been banned from returning to the Oscars or attending any other Academy events for the next 10 years.

 

 

 

Despite Smith being restricted from the event and Oscar-related activities for the next decade, he will keep the accolade he won on March 27 for his starring role in King Richard, the film based on Richard Williams, the father of tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams.

He also has not been ostracized from future Oscar nominations and wins, and remains eligible to take home nods in the coming years.

The decision was apparently made by the Academy's 54-person board of governors, who held a meeting this morning to determine the actions that would be taken against Will Smith.

When accepting his award for King Richard, Will apologized to the Academy, but did not vocalize any regret towards Rock at that time. The next day, on March 28, Will Smith released a statement via Instagram, apologizing to Chris Rock.

"Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive," Will expressed. "My behavior at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable. Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada’s medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally." 

He continued: "I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness. I would also like to apologize to the Academy, the producers of the show, all the attendees and everyone watching around the world. I would like to apologize to the Williams Family and my King Richard Family. I deeply regret that my behavior has stained what has been an otherwise gorgeous journey for all of us."

Will Smith added, "I am a work in progress."

Hours after the incident transpired, the Academy released a statement of their own, denouncing the violence that had taken place during the annual award show.

"The Academy does not condone violence of any form," the organization tweeted. "Tonight we are delighted to celebrate our 94th Academy Awards winners, who deserve this moment of recognition from their peers and movie lovers around the world."

It was also reported that the LAPD was informed of the incident and that Chris Rock chose not to press charges.

XXL has reached out to the Oscar Awards for a statement on this matter.

https://www.xxlmag.com/film-academy-ban-will-smith-oscars-chris-rock-slap/?fbclid=IwAR1gqJvOpDvuVQjMiOPlXnbFo2dgmWO1H3Em79_GEhv8VlgCBXEW2IrsR1E&utm_source=tsmclip&utm_medium=referral

Edited April 8, 2022 by JumpinJack AJ

[Jazzy Julie]

Although I think 10 years is such a long time, I feel a bit relieved by this news. I really didn’t want Will to lose his Oscar. Imagine how devastating that would be to lose an award you worked your whole life to get for a moment of madness. 
 

The Oscar’s had to punish him some way to show that they think violence is wrong, so Will had something coming to him just so the academy can look good.

Now that’s done it can become yesterdays news, Will can focus on himself and hopefully build his career back. 

[JumpinJack AJ]

I think it's fair.  I was expecting something like this, but I'm mildly surprised it's for this long. I know it can be a big deal for some people to attend the Oscars, but going to a big event like that isn't all that big of a deal.  He's an Oscar-winner (something Whoopi already confirmed) and he can still be nominated and win.  While he militantly worked for the Oscar for years, he has admitted in recent years he wasn't chasing it like he once was. He can now just determine the work he wants to do in his own life, then resume artistically doing whatever he wants. 

[Jazzy Julie]

Maybe we can get better films from Will now he no longer needs to chase that Oscar. I’ve always preferred a MIB type film to an Oscar winner.

[VIsqo]

Yes, now he can make some comedies like Hitch or something like that

[JumpinJack AJ]

Yeah, do something that's fun.  Something that we'll want to watch over and over again.  Don't get me wrong, I love Ali and King Richard, but I watch them ever couple years. Movies like Bad Boys, Hitch, Men In Black, Enemy of the State, ID4, etc....I can watch them frequently. 

On another note, it would be kinda gangsta to put out a movie or two during this time that would result in him being nominated even if he can't be there.  At the same, would will he have a prejudice against him for being nominated or winning because of all this? 

[Vipa]

Honestly, the movies he had in production are in Limbo right now. I don't think he'll be able to pick up the Hollywood pieces for awhile.

 

Will, Brother, use this time to find yourself again, because you've clearly lost something along the way. Get your mind right...Then maybe vent on some beats from Jeff and put that out in the time being. Go back to your roots. 

[JumpinJack AJ]

Will Smith Banned From Oscars For 10 Years; “Accept & Respect …Decision,” Actor Says – Update

By Anthony D'Alessandro, Dominic Patten

April 8, 2022 11:50am

Gilbert Flores/Deadline; AP

(UPDATED with Will Smith statement) With their options rather limited, the  Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Board of Governors has just decided that Will Smith will not be able to attend the Oscars for 10 years for slapping Chris Rock on-stage at the 94th Academy Awards on March 27.

“The Board has decided, for a period of 10 years from April 8, 2022, Mr. Smith shall not be permitted to attend any Academy events or programs, in person or virtually, including but not limited to the Academy Awards,” said AMPAS president David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson of Smith’s “unacceptable and harmful behavior” in a letter to the full membership after a contentious 9 AM PT virtual meeting today concluded. “We also hope this can begin a time of healing and restoration for all involved and impacted,” they added at the end of the letter, with no pun undoubtedly intended. Read the full letter from Rubin and Hudson below.

 

“I accept and respect the Academy’s decision,” Smith said in a succinct statement soon after AMPAS made their POV public.

Not that there was a lot more the AMPAS Board, which includes Steven Spielberg, Ava DuVernay, Laura Dern and Whoopi Goldberg among its current roster, could really do. Seeing where this debacle was likely going to end up, Smith made a chess move on April 1, and immediately resigned from the AMPAS.

In his preemptive letter the King Richard Best Actor Oscar winner proclaimed: “My actions at the 94th Academy Awards presentation were shocking, painful, and inexcusable. The list of those I have hurt is long and includes Chris, his family, many of my dear friends and loved ones, all those in attendance, and global audiences at home. I betrayed the trust of the Academy. I deprived other nominees and winners of their opportunity to celebrate and be celebrated for their extraordinary work. I am heartbroken. I want to put the focus back on those who deserve attention for their achievements and allow the Academy to get back to the incredible work it does to support creativity and artistry in film.”

With whispers in the preceding days that the organization’s more than 50-person strong Board of Governors were strongly considering a decade long expulsion as part of its self-described  “disciplinary proceedings,” the actor’s April Fool’s Day decision effectively neutered the organization. While disinvites to future Academy Awards, a fine or even a lawsuit for staining the Oscar brand were discussed to varying degrees in recent days, there was never ever a possibility that Smith would have his Best Actor Oscar taken away from him – as Roman Polanski can tell you.

While he won’t be allowed to hand out the Best Actress award at the 95th Academy Awards, as is traditional for the previous Best Actor winner, there is nothing in today’s AMPAS decision that prevents the busy Smith from being nominated in future years. Such a move on the part of the Board of Governors would have been unprecedented for AMPAS, and likely could blow up in its face.

Not that the now banned Smith didn’t have a good run among the Hollywood elite group before striking and verbally lambasting Fargo star Rock over his mocking of Jada Pinkett Smith’s hair. The former Fresh Prince had been a member of the Academy since 2001, joining just five years after his big screen blockbuster debut in Independence Day.

It was Smith’s resignation last week that forced the AMPAS leadership to move up its meeting from April 18 to today.“We were required to provide Mr. Smith notice 15 days prior to the board meeting at which such action might be taken, and also give him the opportunity to provide the board a written statement no less than five days prior to that meeting,” an April 6 memo from AMPAS prez Rubin explained, noting that those rules and timeline had been essentially taken over by Smith with his resignation.

Of course, by that point a secondary scandal was in full bloom as conflicting and nuanced explanations began to leak out as to why Smith wasn’t removed from the Dolby Theater after assaulting Rock. After an AMPAS  Governors meeting on March 30, the group’s reps released a statement saying, “While we would like to clarify that Mr. Smith was asked to leave the ceremony and refused, we also recognize we could have handled the situation differently.”

Those close to Smith said this was not true.

They say that AMPAS heads Rubin and CEO Hudson rather gently suggested to Smith’s longtime rep Meredith O’Sullivan backstage that the actor leave the Dolby. Even before the likes of Denzel Washington and Tyler Perry consoled Smith, the then Best Actor nominee’s rep passed the request on to him. Perhaps not capturing the severity of the moment, Smith supposedly said he wanted to stay, to say sorry and that was that.

With no adults taking control or responsibility, Smith stayed in his front row seat for over half an hour before going back up on stage to accept his long expected Best Actor award.

For many watching at home and even some in the room, the standing ovation the actor received before launching into a somewhat rambling, emotional, self justifying and apologetic (though not to Chris Rock, that would come on social media a day later) speech was a travesty. Later Smith and family showed up at the Vanity Fair party to dance to his own past hits in a manner that displayed a distinct lack of contrition.

Additionally, contradictory accounts arose as to whether Oscars producer Will Packer did or did not ask Smith to leave. Attempting to get out in front of AMPAS, Packer sat down with GMA on April 1 to tell the ABC morning show that the decision to force Smith to leave fell on Rock’s hands.

As to whether the police “were about to physically remove Will Smith,” the Girls Trip EP said. “I wasn’t part of those conversations. …Rock has made it clear that he didn’t want to make a bad situation worse.”

However, sources told Deadline following that GMA interview that Packer, who directly spoke to Smith in the minutes following the shocking slap, was conflating from a conversation that happened after Smith slapped Rock onstage, where the comic told Packer he did not want to press charges. Had he chosen to do that, the LAPD would have removed Smith and arrested him. Had Packer actually asked Rock if he wanted Smith removed from the building, he might have gotten a different answer, we hear.

Also, had the now touring Rock filed a police report against Smith, the actor could have faced up to six months behind bars and a $100,000 fine if found guilty on the misdemeanor charge that the assault is under California law.

Now, with big and awards-intended projects like AppleTV+’s Antoine Fuqua helmed Emancipation in the can as other offerings at Netflix and Sony on pause for a beat, Will Smith’s career will surely dim for a bit. However, this is Hollywood, and with a fanbase as wide and deep as global superstar Smith has, expect to see the actor right back in the center of the A-list crowd soon enough.

Read AMPAS President David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson’s full letter to Academy members here:

The 94th Oscars were meant to be a celebration of the many individuals in our community who did incredible work this past year; however, those moments were overshadowed by the unacceptable and harmful behavior we saw Mr. Smith exhibit on stage.

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.

Today, the Board of Governors convened a meeting to discuss how best to respond to Will Smith’s actions at the Oscars, in addition to accepting his resignation. The Board has decided, for a period of 10 years from April 8, 2022, Mr. Smith shall not be permitted to attend any Academy events or programs, in person or virtually, including but not limited to the Academy Awards.

We want to express our deep gratitude to Mr. Rock for maintaining his composure under extraordinary circumstances. We also want to thank our hosts, nominees, presenters and winners for their poise and grace during our telecast.

This action we are taking today in response to Will Smith’s behavior is a step toward a larger 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.

Thank you

https://deadline.com/2022/04/will-smith-punishment-oscar-ban-chris-rock-slap-ampas-1234997251/

[fan 4ever]

The punishment could have been worse. He gets to keep his Oscar (for what it’s worth, I doubt he or movie studios will ever use it to promote a new movie) and he’s still in a position to win another one.

I hope people can move forward now. I don’t know if he still has to do the Red Table Talk. Maybe work on yourself for now, try to find peace.

[Lerkot]

Meanwhile Chris Rock will be back next year with a very funny monologue about Bruce Willis...

[Jazzy Julie]

I looked at twitter to see what peoples thoughts are on it. And most people are saying it’s unfair he’s been banned yet they haven’t banned people like Roman Polanski, Woody Allen and Harvey Weinstein. And they have a fair point. 
 

One person even wrote Will got a worse punishment than the people that stormed the capitol lol. 

[VIsqo]

I think the punishment is fine. I'm glad it happened sooner so people can just move on from this incident. 

[JumpinJack AJ]

9 hours ago, Jazzy Julie said:

I looked at twitter to see what peoples thoughts are on it. And most people are saying it’s unfair he’s been banned yet they haven’t banned people like Roman Polanski, Woody Allen and Harvey Weinstein. And they have a fair point. 
 

One person even wrote Will got a worse punishment than the people that stormed the capitol lol. 

I think the reason for this is that Will's actions are directly related to the Oscars.  They want to save face.   The dealings of those other people, while vile and long term, aren't directly related to the Oscars. No one is associating their behavior with the Oscars like they are Will's.  That's just my guess at reasoning. 

[JumpinJack AJ]

Points are being made... https://www.aol.com/entertainment/lets-ban-oscars-academys-smith-234732543.html

'Let's ban the Oscars': Academy's Will Smith ban met with disbelief, accusations of racism

April 8, 2022, 7:47 PM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Will Smith is facing a 10-year ban from events held by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for slapping Oscars presenter Chris Rock during the 94th Academy Awards in March. But the reaction to the film academy's decision Friday was met with mixed results, ranging from disbelief to accusations of racism.

While the "King Richard" star has repeatedly apologized and accepted the academy's decision, the organization contended that its ban was "a step toward a larger goal of protecting the safety of our performers and guests, and restoring trust in the academy."

But many people on social media didn't see it that way (and celebrities were mostly silent).

Some critics characterized the academy's ruling against the "Fresh Prince" veteran as racially motivated, while others saw it as the group making up for lax repercussions for past transgressors.

They cited inappropriate behavior by the likes of Oscar winner Adrien Brody, who planted a kiss on presenter Halle Berry in 2003, or that of comedian Jim Carrey, a critic of Smith who made live-show advances on an unwilling Alicia Silverstone at the 1997 MTV Movie Awards.

"The ten year ban they gave Will Smith feels very 'make a lesson of this Black person,'" tweeted author Frederick Joseph.

"This is 100% racially motivated," wrote Twitter user Somari, replying to a news story about Smith's punishment. "Jim Carrey sexually assaulted a woman live on stage and she was visually distressed. Will Smith slaps a dude for mocking an illness and gets banned for a decade."

Others contrasted the academy's swift action with the "Ali" and "Concussion" actor with the delayed punishments involving disgraced Hollywood players such as Oscar-winning director Roman Polanski, producer Harvey Weinstein and actor Kevin Spacey.

Amid the #MeToo movement, the academy implemented a code of conduct in 2017 in response to the Weinstein sexual-assault scandal. It has only expelled three people — the "Shakespeare in Love" producer, Polanski and comedian-author Bill Cosby — since enacting it. (Weinstein and Polanski still have their Oscar trophies.)

"will smith becoming the face of 'they don’t love us, just what we create' was not on my 2022 bingo card. how did a slap translate to this when they have yet to ban actual predators and racists??" added user @houseofphoton.

"let’s ban the oscars for 10 years too. the hell. so many predators still not banned…" tweeted user BEYTHOVEN.

"crazy how the oscars have allowed racism and harassment to happen with no consequences, but they choose to ban will for TEN YEARS all over a slap?? f— the oscars," added user @ultrcmcr.

But there was a handful of people who backed the decision and plenty who continued to make fun of the whole slap debacle.

"Sad end to a bad episode. I'm baffled by those saying 'Not good enough!' as if the Academy is some industry-wide regulatory body. They're responsible only for their show, their awards, and their membership. And they're right to keep the awards out of it," wrote author Mark Harris.

"A harsher punishment would have been mandatory attendance for 10 years," quipped "Scandal" alum Joshua Malina.

Here's a look at some of the online discourse around the academy's decision:

Edited April 10, 2022 by JumpinJack AJ

[VIsqo]

I really dont believe that there was racism involved on the ban decision.