Fans Question The Likelihood Of The Academy Stripping Will Smith Of His Oscar

Will Smith fans have been left wondering whether or not the actor may have to give back his award after his altercation with Chris Rock.

While Smith took home the award for Best Actor at the 94th Academy Awards held Sunday, 27 March, his win is feared as being tainted by an altercation which took place between him and Chris Rock.

The presenter made a 'GI Jane 2' joke about Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, which led to Smith taking to the stage and slapping Rock in the face, before also verbally abusing him when back in his seat.

The Oscars took to social media to condemn the behaviour, and fans of the Men in Black star have been left worried that he may be stripped of the title.

While some Oscar viewers seemed to think that the slap was fake - with American comedian Kevin T Porter's claim that he wrote Rock's joke seemingly confirming that the beef had been part of a skit - Smith's emotional speech and apology for his behaviour said otherwise.

The Oscars took to Twitter to note that it 'does not condone violence of any form'.

The Los Angeles Police Department also stated that it was 'aware of an incident between two individuals during the Academy Awards program,' which saw 'one individual slapping another'.

However, it explained that Rock had 'declined to file a police report,' and would only 'complete an investigative report' if he did decide to file a report with them at a later date.

Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith (Alamy)

The Academy has a code of conduct which explains that the awards should be a place 'of respect for human dignity, inclusion, and a supportive environment that fosters creativity'.

In the wake of the #MeToo movement which rocketed Hollywood in 2017, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science (AMPAS) CEO Dawn Hudson reflected: "There is no place in the Academy for people who abuse their status, power or influence in a manner that violates recognized standards of decency. The Academy is categorically opposed to any form of abuse, harassment or discrimination on the basis of gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, disability, age, religion, or nationality. The Board of Governors believes that these standards are essential to the Academy's mission and reflective of our values."

For his breach of the Academy's code of conduct, Smith has already been urged to hand his award back by some viewers.

Although others have argued that he shouldn't be expected to give it back when Harvey Weinstein still has his despite currently being imprisoned for sexual assault and rape.

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Topics: Oscars, Will Smith

Poppy Bilderbeck

Poppy Bilderbeck is a Senior Journalist at LADbible Group. She graduated from The University of Manchester in 2021 with a First in English Literature and Drama, where alongside her studies she was Editor-in-Chief of The Tab Manchester. Poppy is most comfortable when chatting about all things mental health, is proving a drama degree is far from useless by watching and reviewing as many TV shows and films as possible and is such a crisp fanatic the office has been forced to release them in batches.