“We also recognize that we could have handled the situation differently,” the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which awards the Oscars, wrote in a statement.
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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 March 30. “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”wrote in a press release the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which awards the Oscars.
Reacting for the first time publicly, Chris Rock for his part declared at the start of a show in Boston that he was “still digesting what happened”. “So at some point I’m going to talk about this stuff. And it will be serious and funny”, he added.
It was a joke from 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 got on stage and slapped Chris Rock under the dumbfounded gaze 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 Method, has since issued a public apology to Chris Rock and the Academy of Oscars. The latter’s board of directors met on Wednesday and “opened disciplinary proceedings against Will Smith for violations of Academy policies, which include inappropriate physical contact, abusive or dangerous conduct and compromising the integrity of the Academy”, according to the press release.