Immediately after the Academy of Motion Pictures’ decision to ban Will Smith from attending the Oscars and all Academy events for the next ten years, the actor has come forward with his thoughts.
Smith won Best Actor for his role as Richard Williams in King Richard at the 94th Annual Academy Awards ceremony on March 27, 2022. Weeks later, on April 8, 2022, the Academy held a meeting to determine if Smith’s award should be revoked following his altercation with Chris Rock on stage at the ceremony. While the Academy allowed Smith to keep his trophy, they announced he would be banned from the ceremony for the next decade.
The decision comes after Smith slapped comedian Chris Rock at the 94th Academy Awards on March 29, 2022. In a brief statement to Page Six, Smith said, “I accept and respect the Academy’s decision.”
Smith previously made the rounds with apologies following the incident. In a public apology on Instagram, he wrote, “Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive. My behavior at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable.” The actor went on to apologize to Rock directly: “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,” he wrote. “There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness.”
Smith also resigned from the Academy on April 1, 2022, referring to all the pain he caused. “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. I am a work in progress.”
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