Actor Will Smith will not lose his Oscar. Still, The Academy may decide to suspend him for his actions. Smith won Best Actor for his performance in King Richard at the 2022 Oscars, just after an onstage altercation with actor/comedian Chris Rock. Rock presented the award for Best Documentary and made a joke toward Smith's wife, actress Jada Pinkett-Smith, which prompted Smith to take to the stage and slap Rock across the face. Smith then took his seat, yelling at Rock not to make further jokes about his wife. Rock continued the presentation without incident, while Smith received his award just 10 minutes later, giving an emotional speech about peace and love.
Hollywood reacted to Smith's behavior at the Oscars, with many condemning the violent behavior while others are lauding it. Most seemed shocked and appalled at the exchange, which is a first in Oscars history. Smith apologized to The Academy and his fellow nominees for his behavior during his acceptance speech, saying he hoped he would be invited back. However, the actor did not apologize to Rock. Smith stayed throughout the ceremony, both after the slap and his Oscar win, and was later seen partying and posing for photos late into the evening.
According to THR, The Academy is not expected to take back Smith's Best Actor Oscar but is considering some type of sanction, including a potential suspension of his Academy membership. Members are split on whether to revoke the Oscar, while others support the suspension only. However, a new statement from The Academy condemns Smith's actions during the broadcast and says that they have begun "a formal review" of the incident and that they will "explore further action and consequences" following their "Bylaws, Standards of Conduct and California Law." Take a look at the statement below:
Rock had previously made a joke about Pinkett-Smith during the 2016 Oscars while also taking some comedic jabs at Smith, which prompted one Twitter user to predict the Smith/Rock altercation at the 2022 Oscars. After the incident, many of Smith's peers appeared to reach out to the actor in-between commercial breaks, including Denzel Washington, Tyler Perry, and Bradley Cooper. Smith even mentioned the advice that Washington gave the actor just after the slap, saying, "At your highest moment, be careful, that's when the devil comes for you."
Smith has been nominated twice for an Oscar before finally winning for King Richard, and the actor has several high-profile projects on the way, including the Antoine Fuqua-directed slave revolt drama Emancipation and the Nicky Barnes biopic, The Council. It's unclear if those projects will be affected by Smith's actions at the 2022 Oscars. Still, studios and filmmakers on his upcoming projects may have some concern at this juncture, as it's hard enough to make a movie without worrying about damage control of the lead actor.
Source: THR