Los Angeles, April 2 (BUS): Will Smith submitted his resignation Friday from the Film Academy after he slapped Chris Rock at the Academy Awards and said he would accept any further punishment imposed by the organization.
Smith said in a statement released Friday afternoon that he “will fully accept any and all consequences for my behavior. My actions at the 94th Academy Awards were shocking, painful and unforgivable.”
Film Academy President David Rubin said Smith’s resignation had been accepted. “We will continue to proceed with our disciplinary action against Mr. Smith for violation of the Academy’s standards of conduct, prior to the next Board meeting scheduled for April 18.”
Smith loses voting privileges by resigning. But there are other, less real benefits to being a part of the Academy, Hollywood’s most famous organization: It lends industry credibility to its members. It’s invite-only, and with membership reviewed once a year, the AP reports.
“You betrayed the trust of the Academy. I denied the nominees and other winners their opportunity to celebrate and celebrate their exceptional work,” Smith said. I want to refocus on those who deserve attention for their achievements and allow the Academy to return to the wonderful work it is doing to support creativity and art in cinema.
“Change takes time and I am committed to doing the work to ensure that violence is never again allowed to outgrow the cause,” Smith concluded in the statement.
The resignation came two days after the academy leadership board met to initiate disciplinary proceedings against Smith for violating the group’s standards of conduct. These actions could have resulted in suspension or expulsion, and it was not immediately clear what additional punishment he could face.
Had he been expelled, Smith would have joined a small group of men thrown out of the academy: Harvey Weinstein, Roman Polanski, Bill Cosby, and actress Carmine Caridi, who were expelled for participating in the awards show.
On Sunday, Smith walked from his front-row seat at the Dolby Theater to the stage and slapped Rock, who had made a joke at the expense of Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. Moments later, he won Best Actor for his role in King Richard.
Rock, who was on the verge of submitting an Oscar for Best Documentary Feature, declined to press charges when asked by the police. He has only spoken briefly about the attack in public, saying at a comedy party in Boston this week that he is still “kind of processing what happened.”
Smith Rock stunned the theater audience and home viewers when he took to the stage after Rock jokingly said, “Jada, I love you.” GI Jane 2 “I can’t wait to see her.”
Pinkett Smith, who has spoken publicly about her hair loss condition, alopecia, had a closely shaven head similar to Demi Moore’s head in the original movie.
After Smith’s attack, he returned to his seat and angrily shouted twice at Rock “to get my wife’s name out of your mouth (expletive)”. When Smith took the stage again less than an hour later to accept his Academy Award, he tearfully apologized to the Academy but notably omitted any mention of rock music.
The repercussions were immediate and severe. Smith had supporters in his defense of his wife, but he was widely condemned for responding with violence and for his marriage with his much-anticipated Oscar win and overshadowing the other winners of the night.
This included Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, director of the winning documentary “Summer of Soul” and the film’s producers. They earned their prize in the turbulent moments after Smith’s attack and lunge, when the room’s attention shattered.
Before the disruption, the ceremony was a reset of the restricted versions of the pandemic in the past two years. Returning to her home theater, she boasted a trio of well-received hosts—Regina Hall, Amy Schumer, and Wanda Sykes—and racked up multiple winners.
They included “West Side Story” star Ariana Debus, the first Afro-Latina actress to win the Best Supporting Actress category, and Troy Koetsor of “CODA,” the first deaf actor to win a supporting actor award. The night ended with “CODA” being crowned Best Picture, an outstanding achievement for the streaming service and a film featuring a largely deaf cast.