List of celebrities banned from the Oscars and what they did to get kicked out
Topics: Oscars, Celebrity, Will Smith, Entertainment
Lucy Devine
Featured Image Credit: Myung Chun / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Topics: Oscars, Celebrity, Will Smith, Entertainment
The Academy Awards is arguably one of the most prestigious awards ceremonies in the Hollywood calendar.
In fact, winning an Oscar is every actor's dream and only a few of the greatest stars have managed to achieve the impressive accolade.
There are currently six famous faces banned from the awards, which are due to next take place on March 15 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
From violence, to sexual assault convictions, here's who won't be in attendance at the 98th annual Academy Awards.
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Let's get into it.
Perhaps the first celebrity to spring to mind is Will Smith, who was banned after marching on stage and slapping comedian Chris Rock back in 2022.
The then 53-year-old was sat in the audience with wife Jada Pinkett Smith when host Rock made a comment about Pinkett Smith's appearance.
Pinkett Smith suffers from alopecia areata, an autoimmune condition that causes hair to fall out.
Rock quipped: "Jada, I love you, GI Jane two, can't wait to see it!"
The comment referenced the 1997 film GI Jane, where the lead actress shaved off her hair to join the military.
Smith marched on stage to slap Rock before yelling: "Keep my wife's name out of your f**king mouth."
A week later and the Oscars officially banned him for a staggering 10 years.
The board said: "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."
Bill Cosby has been handed a lifetime ban by the Academy after he was convicted of sexual assault.
In 2018, Cosby was found guilty of drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand in 2004.
However, in 2021 he was released from prison and his conviction overturned.
The Academy issued a statement, which read: "The Board continues to encourage ethical standards that require members to uphold the Academy's values of respect for human dignity."
Carmine Caridi, who died in 2019, was the first person to be banned for life by the Academy.
Caridi was accused of circulating pirate copy VHS tapes of upcoming movies to his friend Russell Sprague illegally, which were all later found online.
“I would send them to him before I even looked at them,” Caridi told The Hollywood Reporter in 2017.
“And then he would copy them and send them back.”
Caridi was offtered immunity in return for naming Sprague.
“I thought I was going to jail,” he added. “If I didn’t, they would have handcuffed me.”
Caridi also recalled the letter he received from the Academy's board of governors, who made the decision to expel him.
“They wrote me a letter. “‘You’re finished.'”
Weinstein was banned in 2017 following sexual assault allegations.
The disgraced Hollywood producer was arrested in May 2018 and charged with rape and other offences after over 80 women came forward to accuse him of non-consensual acts over the course of his film career.
Despite denying any accusations of ‘non-consensual sex’, he was sentenced to 23 years of imprisonment in March 2020.
Weinstein was also sentenced to an additional 16 years after being convicted in Los Angeles of two counts of sexual assault and one count of rape.
However, in 2024, the New York Court of Appeals overturned Weinstein's 2020 conviction on the basis that he did not receive a fair trial.
In June last year, a New York jury found Weinstein guilty on one count of a criminal sexual act, as well as not guilty on another count.
The jury could not reach a verdict on the rape charge, relating to actress Jessica Mann. The charge ended in a mistrial and a retrial is expected to begin on April 14 this year.
In a statement, the board said: "[Weinstein's actions were] repugnant, abhorrent, and antithetical to the high standards of the academy and the creative community it represents."
The director was expelled from the Academy after a rape conviction back in the '70s.
Polanski pleaded guilty to unlawful sex with a minor in 1977 after being arrested for having sex with a 13-year-old girl.
He later fled the US and still lives in Europe.
In an October 2017 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Polanski reflected on the case, saying, "As far as what I did: It’s over. I pleaded guilty."
While cinematographer Kimmel joined the Academy in 2007, his history as a registered sex offender was exposed in November 2020 and the organization removed him.
The Academy said their membership is 'based on an honor system that relies on the integrity of prospective members, their sponsors, and branch committee members to disclose any disqualifying information.'