De Raad van Bestuur van de Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences heeft besloten dat Will Smith de Oscars gedurende 10 jaar niet persoonlijk of virtueel- zal mogen bijwonen, nadat de acteur de komiek Chris Rock een klap in het gezicht gaf op het podium van de Academy Awards op 27 maart. Dat lieten  voorzitter David Rubin en CEO Dawn Hudson weten in een brief aan alle leden van de Academy.

De brief sloot af met: “We hopen ook dat dit het begin mag zijn van een tijd van heling en herstel voor iedereen die betrokken en geraakt was.” Smith liet in een korte statement weten dat hij de beslissing van de Academy aanvaardt en respecteert.

Het volledige statement van voorzitter David Rubin en CEO Dawn Hudson aan de leden van de Academy gaat als volgt:

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

Bron: Deadline