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Will Smith resigns from Academy after slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars.
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Will Smith leaves the Academy after his altercation with Chris Rock at the Oscars.
Will Smith has won an Academy Award, however, he is no longer a member of the Academy.
On Friday, the actor, 53, announced his departure from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, just five days after shocking Hollywood and the world by slapping Chris Rock on the stage at the 94th Academy Awards in response to a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.
“The list of those I have hurt is long and includes Chris, his family, many of my dear friends and loved ones, all those in attendance, and global audiences at home,” Smith said in a statement provided to EW.
“I betrayed the trust of the Academy. I deprived other nominees and winners of their opportunity to celebrate and be celebrated for their extraordinary work. I am heartbroken. I want to put the focus back on those who deserve attention for their achievements and allow the Academy to get back to the incredible work it does to support creativity and artistry in film.”
Calling his actions “shocking, painful, and inexcusable,” Smith also said he had responded to a disciplinary hearing notice from the Academy and would “fully accept any and all consequences for my conduct.”
He concluded by saying, “Change takes time, and I am committed to doing the work to ensure that I never again allow violence to overtake reason.”
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In response, AMPAS president David Rubin said in a statement, “We have received and accepted Mr. Will Smith’s immediate resignation from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. We will continue to move forward with our disciplinary proceedings against Mr. Smith for violations of the Academy’s Standards of Conduct, in advance of our next scheduled board meeting on April 18.”
Smith and the Academy have been enveloped in controversy since Sunday when Smith struck Rock during the presentation of the award for Best Documentary Feature.
Smith confronted Rock on stage after the comedian make a joke about Pinkett Smith’s shaved head; the actress has alopecia and has been candid about her struggles with the condition.
After returning to his seat amid a stunned audience, Smith yelled at Rock, “Keep my wife’s name out of your f—ing mouth.”
Smith was not removed from the ceremony, and less than an hour later he won Best Actor for his performance as Richard Williams, the father of tennis superstars Venus and Serena Williams, in King Richard.
During his acceptance speech, Smith apologized to the Academy and attempted to explain his actions, saying, “Love will make you do crazy things,” though he did not mention Rock by name.
In an Instagram post on Monday, Smith apologized to Rock, as well as the Academy, the show’s producers, the attendees, global viewers, the Williams family, and his King Richard collaborators.
Rock declined to press charges against Smith, according to the LAPD.
After tweeting that the Academy “does not condone violence of any form” on Sunday night, the organization issued a stronger condemnation of Smith’s outburst on Monday, and launched a formal review of the incident.