The 2023 Academy Awards are upon us, which means it’s been a year since Will Smith won the Oscar for Best Actor for his performance as Richard Williams’ father, Venus and Serena Williams’ father, and King Richard. The type of victory will always be a high level of performance and a memorable moment of the celebrity from the evening.
But of course, Smith’s victory came shortly after the event dominated the pop culture conversation for months afterward. While presenting the Oscar for the best documentary, the comedian Chris Rock began to listen to some celebrities, and after making a bad joke about Jada Pinkett Smith, comparing her to G.I. Jane talks about her hair. after alopecia, Smith ran onto the stage and punched Rock in the face. strong.
“Get my wife’s name out of your f***ing mouth,” Smith shouted.
Smith has released a public apology video, in which he expressed his grief directly to Rock, as well as his wife and family and fans. He also said he “understood” if some people jumped on his most recent film, the inspired freedom, in which he portrays an enslaved man named Peter Smith. “If someone is not ready, I will absolutely respect that and allow them the opportunity to not be ready,” he said.
Smith’s public outcry wasn’t enough to quell the backlash against his actions, however: a sequel to his Netflix fantasy drama Bright was shelved because of the hiatus, and production on the fourth Bad Boys movie is also reportedly on hold. stopped all the way. .
Myung Chun//Getty Images
Will Smith will not be going to the Oscars this year. Or next year.
On April 2, 2022, Smith resigned from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, saying he would “accept any other outcome the Board deems appropriate.” Six days later, Academy CEO Dawn Hudson and Academy President David Rubin released a statement announcing that Smith would be banned from attending the Oscars for a full decade.
“The Board has decided that, for 10 years from April 8, 2022, Mr. Smith will not be allowed to attend any Academy event or function, personally or virtually, including whether or not not limited to the Academy Awards,” they said. . Although Smith has been banned from participating in events, it should be noted that he can still be nominated for an Academy Award—although the chances of this happening in the near future seem slim.
play the triangle icon indicating play
Philip Ellis is a freelance writer and journalist from the United Kingdom covering pop culture, relationships and LGBTQ+ issues. Her work has appeared in GQ, Teen Vogue, Man Repeller and MTV.
