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Topics: News
Shola Lee
Will Smith has been barred from Academy events for 10 years following his recent altercation with Chris Rock.
Smith slapped Rock on the stage of the Academy Awards last week in a move that shocked people across the world.
Now, it has been announced that the board of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has decided the King Richard actor will be banned from Academy events for the next decade.
The team were due to meet on 18 April, but brought the hearing forward to deliberate on the issue after Smith announced his resignation from the Academy.
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The resignation came after Smith publicly apologised for his act of slapping Rock after the comedian made an insensitive joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith.
Upon returning to his seat, Smith told Rock to "keep [his] wife's name out [his] f***ing mouth," in reference to the 'G.I. Jane 2' joke that Rock made.
After the incident, Rock and Smith were said to have patched things up at the afterparty, with Smith apologising on social media and resigning from the Academy.
In a post Smith shared on Instagram, he wrote: “Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive. My behaviour at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable. Jokes at my expense are part of the job, but a joke about Jada’s medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally.
He then resigned from the Academy, saying: "My actions at the 94th Academy Awards presentation were shocking, painful, and inexcusable," Sky News reported.
"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."
David Rubin, president of the Academy, said it had accepted Smith's resignation but would still be looking at disciplinary action.
In a statement, Rubin said: "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."
However, that meeting was moved forward, with the news now coming today, 8 April, that Smith would be banned from Academy events moving forward.
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