Will Smith has officially resigned membership in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts of Sciences, and here's what that actually means. Smith has certainly had quite the controversial week since his appearance at the 2022 Oscars ceremony. Theoretically, it should have been the most triumphant period of Smith's career, as he finally received an Academy Award for his work, after being nominated previously for Ali and The Pursuit of Happyness.
Instead, Smith's Oscar win has been overshadowed by debate and discussion concerning Smith's actions prior to winning Best Actor. While the ceremony was airing live, presenter Chris Rock made a joke concerning Smith's wife Jada Pinkett Smith, one the couple found to be in poor taste. Smith then walked up to Rock on stage and slapped him in the face. He would then return to his seat, before yelling at Rock and demanding that the comedian not mention his wife.
Smith's behavior has received both defenders and detractors, but the latter group quickly grew large enough to warrant the Academy getting involved. The Academy publicly condemned Smith's actions, before announcing it would initiate further disciplinary hearings. For his part, Smith has publicly apologized to all parties involved, including Rock, and even opted to submit his resignation to the Academy. However, many may now be unsure exactly what Will Smith's resignation from the Academy entails, so here's some clarification.
What Will Smith Resigning From The Academy Means
Since Will Smith submitted his formal resignation as a member to the Academy, Smith has lost two key benefits of his membership. The first is that Smith will no longer be entitled to receive screeners of films, which are sent to Academy members so that they can watch all the nominated movies before casting their votes for who deserves each Oscar. That ties into the second lost benefit: Will Smith also won't be able to vote on who should win Oscars. However, Smith is highly unlikely to actually lose his Oscar, as not even convicted sex offenders Harvey Weinstein and Roman Polanski have had their Oscars rescinded.
Is Will Smith Retiring From Acting?
While it's understandable some might be confused due to Will Smith's resignation from the Academy, there's been indication he plans to retire from acting. The Academy is a powerful organization, but membership in it is by no means a requirement to act in movies. To become a member, an actor must either be sponsored by two existing members or be nominated for an Oscar, which earns automatic membership. Most actors begin working in movies without being members. With that in mind, leaving the Academy shouldn't necessarily place any barriers between Smith and any future movie roles, such as in Warner Bros.' upcoming I Am Legend sequel.
Can Will Smith Still Win Another Oscar?
While it's unlikely Will Smith will be asked to return his Oscar that he earned for starring in King Richard, there is reason to wonder if he will be nominated for future Oscars, at least for a while. Due to the Chris Rock controversy, it's quite possible that no matter how great a performance Smith gives in the near term, the Academy will opt to avoid the potential powder keg nominating him might ignite. At the end of the day though, the Academy is an entirely private organization, and it's in the sole discretion of the Academy's 54-person board of governors to decide whether or not an actor is eligible to be nominated for an Academy Award.
Can Will Smith Rejoin The Academy In The Future?
Similar to deciding whether or not Will Smith can ever be eligible to win another Oscar, the decision of whether or not to ever allow him to re-join the Academy is also entirely up to the Academy's board of governors. Allowing Smith to resume his Academy membership would also likely only be an action taken at a point when the controversy surrounding Will Smith slapping Chris Rock has subsided. In the meantime, the Academy says it still plans to hold a disciplinary hearing regarding Will Smith, and any further measures it takes to penalize the actor may shed light on how likely his eventual return to the Academy is.