Will Smith receives a 10-year ban from the Oscars following the events of the 94th Academy Awards. Prior to winning his first Best Actor Oscar for his performance in King Richard, Will Smith made headlines in another way during the Oscars ceremony on March 27, 2022. He walked up on stage and slapped comedian Chris Rock in the face after the presenter made a joke about Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. Will Smith's slap was followed by the actor yelling at Chris Rock to keep his wife's name out of his mouth. It was a stunning moment for viewers and those in attendance for the Oscars ceremony that became one of the biggest stories in the world over the last two weeks.
In the time since Will Smith's slap occurred, one of the biggest questions that it left was what the actor's future was with the Academy Awards. Rock declined to press charges against Smith, leaving the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Board of Governors to figure out what his punishment would be. Reports circulated that Smith could lose his Oscars trophy or receive a temporary ban from Oscar-related events. As part of the actor's apology tour following the incident, he resigned from the Academy after it was reported that the organization was starting its own investigation into the events.
As shared by Deadline, it has now been announced that Will Smith has been banned from the Oscars for the next 10 years. The punishment for slapping Chris Rock comes from the AMPAS' Board of Governors and prevents Smith from being able to attend any and all events, in person or virtually, that are associated with the Academy Awards. Originally, the Board planned to meet on April 18th to discuss a punishment but moved up the date to today to act more quickly. Will Smith's ban from the Oscars will end on April 8, 2032.
Will Smith now becomes the fifth person in history to be banned from the Oscars. Producer Harvey Weinstein, comedian Bill Cosby, director Roman Polanski, and cinematographer Adam Kimmel were all banned previously. In each of those examples, their bans were permanent and the result of sexual assault. Actor Carmine Caridi was also expelled due to pirating screeners. The punishment for Will Smith's slap puts him in the same league as some truly despicable individuals.
The Academy's decision to ban Will Smith for the next 10 years does not prohibit him from being nominated or even winning more awards, though. Hollywood has acted quickly to put several projects starring Will Smith on the backburner following the Chris Rock slap, but some projects are already finished filming. For example, his slave drama Emancipation directed by Antoine Fuqua is expected to release in 2022 and be a potential award play for Apple TV+ after winning Best Picture for CODA. Will Smith could still be nominated for his performance and even win, but he will not be able to attend the Oscars and accept the award in such a scenario.
Source: Deadline