Just days after Will Smith's slapping incident at 94th Academy Awards, the actor has come out with a response after the Academy of Motion Pictures and Arts banned him from attending the Oscars or any other academy event for 10 years. This development comes in the wake of a meeting of the academy's Board of Governors to discuss a response to Will's actions.
"I accept and respect the Academy's decision," PEOPLE quoted Will Smith's statement. As per reports, it has been Will will keep the Best Actor award at the Oscars he won after the slap, and he will remain eligible to be nominated for and to win more of them in the 10-year period, though it has been decided that he can't show up to accept them.
Additionally, the current ban would means the actor will not be presenting the Best Actress award at next year's Oscars, as is tradition for the best actor winner. Will won the award, his first-ever Oscar for best actor (leading role) in King Richard.
According to the academy statement, "the 94th Oscars were meant to be a celebration of the many individuals in our community who did incredible work this past year; however, those moments were overshadowed by the unacceptable and harmful behaviour we saw Mr. Smith exhibit on stage. During our telecast, we did not adequately address the situation in the room. For this, we are sorry. This was an opportunity for us to set an example for our guests, viewers, and our Academy family around the world, and we fell short — unprepared for the unprecedented."
The statement further added, "today, the Board of Governors convened a meeting to discuss how best to respond to Will Smith’s actions at the Oscars, in addition to accepting his resignation. The Board has decided, for a period of 10 years from April 8, 2022, Mr Smith shall not be permitted to attend any Academy events or programs, in person or virtually, including but not limited to the Academy Awards."
Meanwhile, thanking Chris Rock, the Academy said, "we want to express our deep gratitude to Mr. Rock for maintaining his composure under extraordinary circumstances. We also want to thank our hosts, nominees, presenters, and winners for their poise and grace during our telecast." The Academy added that the action "is a step toward a larger goal of protecting the safety of our performers and guests, and restoring trust in the Academy." The statement concluded, "We also hope this can begin a time of healing and restoration for all involved and impacted."
