Will Smith has announced his resignation as a member of the Oscars after punching comedian Chris Rock during Sunday’s ceremony.
In a statement sent by his representative agency to the US media, Smith took this position two days after the Hollywood Academy announced that it was opening a disciplinary file and that it was weighing the measures to apply against the actor.
In this sense, the interpreter emphasized in the statement that he will accept more consequences from the Academy.
The list of people I have harmed is long and includes Chris (Rock), his family, many of my dear and beloved friends, attendees and viewers around the world from home,” the letter reads.
The Academy accepts the resignation
Minutes after the news was known, the Academy reported that it accepted the resignation and would continue with its disciplinary procedure.
“We have received and accepted Mr. Will Smith’s immediate resignation from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. We will continue our disciplinary proceedings against Mr. Smith for violations of the Academy’s Rules of Conduct, prior to our next board meeting scheduled for April 18,” said David Rubin, the organization’s president.
On Wednesday, the Academy’s board of directors said it had initiated “disciplinary proceedings” against him.
The Academy claimed Smith’s actions were a “deeply impactful and traumatic event” that broke its standards of conduct and said disciplinary action could include suspension, expulsion or other sanctions.
“Things developed in a way that we could not have anticipated. While we would like 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 wrote at the time.
Chris Rock’s words
This week, returning to the stage at a show in Boston, Rock publicly addressed the incident for the first time.
“Let me digress and sh*t,” Rock said with tears in his eyes, noting the warm response from the crowd that greeted him with standing ovations.
“How was your weekend?” she teased her, to which the audience responded with laughter.
“I don’t have a ton of sh*t to say about that, so if they came here for that,” he trailed off, then continued, “I had written a whole show before this weekend. I’m still processing it.” happened, so at some point I’ll talk about that shit. It’ll be serious. It’ll be fun, but right now I’m going to tell some jokes.”
The comedian then went on with his show.
In addition, Smith referred in his statement to the nominees and winners of this edition of the Oscars, whom he said he had deprived of celebrating their extraordinary work.
“I am resigning my membership in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and will accept whatever consequences the board deems appropriate,” the actor wrote in the text published by Variety magazine.
Through a statement reproduced by the Hollywood Reporter, the Academy announced that it received Smith’s resignation and the case review protocol will continue.
“We have received and accepted Mr. Mith’s immediate resignation from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. We will move forward with our disciplinary proceedings against Mr. Smith for violations of the Academy’s standards of conduct, prior to our next scheduled board meeting on April 18.”
Rock’s professionalism allowed the Oscars to continue
Chris Rock’s professionalism after being assaulted by Will Smith during the live broadcast of the Oscars allowed the ceremony to continue, the show’s producer told US television on Friday.
Rock was able to continue presenting an award just moments after Smith walked onto the stage and slapped him in the face over a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.
“Because Chris handled the moment with such grace and poise, he allowed the show to go on,” producer Will Packer told ABC television.
“Because Chris kept going the way he did, he completed the category. He handed the trophy to Questlove,” winner for best documentary, “which kind of gave us license to follow the show, which is what we were trying to do.”
Hollywood’s brightest night was darkened when Smith took offense at a joke Rock made about the shaved head of his wife, who suffers from alopecia, a condition that causes hair loss.
After slapping Rock, Smith returned to his seat and yelled obscenities at him.
In recent days there have been mixed reports about whether Smith was asked to leave the ceremony, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, in charge of the awards, said he refused to leave.
But Packer noted that he advised against expelling the actor after speaking to Rock as he walked offstage.
“I said, ‘Did he really hit you?’ And he looked at me and said, ‘Yes. I just took a hit from Muhammad Ali,'” the producer narrated. Smith played this legendary boxer in the movie Ali in 2001.
“I immediately went to the Academy board who was on-site and said, ‘Chris Rock doesn’t want that…Rock has made it clear he doesn’t want the situation to get any worse.'”
Half an hour after the shocking attack, Smith was awarded best actor at the Oscars for his role in the movie “King Richard.” This sparked a standing ovation, later criticized with accusations that Hollywood did not take the assault seriously.
According to Packer, the applause was for the actor and his work, not the incident.
“I think the people in the place who stood up, they stood up for someone they knew … who has a career spanning more than three decades of being the opposite of what we saw at the time,” he said.
Smith posted an apology on Instagram Monday calling his behavior “unacceptable and inexcusable.”
For his part, Rock, whose comedy tour of the United States began in Boston this week, told his audience that he was “still processing” what happened. He did not give further details.
The Academy is looking at punishments for Smith, including possible expulsion. The actor is one of the most bankable Hollywood stars and the fifth black man to win the Oscar for best actor.
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