(Los Angeles) Will Smith refused to leave the Oscars ceremony after slapping comedian Chris Rock, as he had been asked, the Academy of Oscars announced on Wednesday, which began disciplinary proceedings against the actor.
Posted at 3:33 p.m.
Updated at 7:31 p.m.
“While we wish to clarify that Mr. Smith was asked to leave the ceremony and declined, we also recognize that we could have handled the situation differently,” the Academy of Arts and Crafts wrote in a statement. film science, which awards the Oscars.
It was a joke by Chris Rock about the shaved head of Jada Pinkett Smith, suffering from alopecia – a disease causing significant hair loss, which she revealed to be suffering from a few years ago – which had triggered the scandal on Sunday evening.
Will Smith suddenly took the stage and slapped Chris Rock under the dumbfounded eyes of celebrities and viewers.
The 53-year-old artist, rewarded shortly after the incident with the Oscar for best actor for his role in The Williams Methodhas since issued a public apology to Chris Rock and the Academy of Oscars.
The Academy’s Board of Trustees met on Wednesday and “opened disciplinary proceedings against Will Smith for violations of Academy policies, which include inappropriate physical contact, abusive conduct or dangerous and compromising the integrity of the Academy,” the statement said.
The institution queen of American cinema gives the actor a period of at least 15 days before the Academy decides, thus offering him “the opportunity to be heard by means of a written response”.
A possible “disciplinary action” against him will be discussed at a meeting scheduled for April 18, she adds. It could include the suspension or expulsion of Will Smith from the Academy, which has nearly 10,000 members.
Harvey Weinstein, a disgraced Hollywood magnate convicted of rape and sexual assault, was expelled from the Academy in the midst of the #metoo movement in 2017. A few months later, she also expelled director Roman Polanski and actor Bill Cosby.
” Sick ”
Many in Hollywood are calling on the organization to punish the star for his act of violence, which they say unfairly eclipsed the night’s other winners.
In a letter sent Wednesday morning to members of the Academy, the leaders said they were “scandalized” by the incident.
“The broadcast of the 94and Sunday’s Oscars ceremony was meant to be a celebration of the many people in our community who have done incredible work over the past year,” reads the letter, signed by Academy President David Rubin and Director General Dawn Hudson.
“We are shocked and outraged that these moments have been overshadowed by the unacceptable and harmful behavior of a contestant on stage,” they continue.
Will Smith ended up apologizing on Instagram, apologizing to both Chris Rock and the organizers: “What I did was inappropriate and I was wrong. My behavior last night at the Oscars was unacceptable and inexcusable. »
Chris Rock, who did not wish to file a complaint after his assault, has not spoken publicly since then.
He was to perform on stage Wednesday evening in Boston during a show that was sold out and whose resale ticket prices have soared since this unfortunate publicity.
Wanda Sykes, one of three presenters who hosted the Oscars gala evening, said the incident literally “sickened” her. “And I’m still a little traumatized,” she said on a talk show hosted by comedian Ellen DeGeneres.
A comedian herself, Wanda Sykes felt that Will Smith should never have been allowed to stay in the room and receive his trophy after such a gesture. “It sends the wrong message. If you assault someone, they kick you out of the building, period,” she said.
The actress told Ellen DeGeneres that she spoke to Chris Rock after the Oscars party and the first thing he did was apologize.
“Why are you apologizing? He said, ‘It was supposed to be your night’, along with the other two presenters you were doing a great job. I’m sorry that now we’re only going to talk about that, ”he said, according to Wanda Sykes.