Will Smith, 53, issued a short and simple statement following the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ decision to ban him from all Academy-related events (including the Oscars) for the next 10 years, because he ran onstage and slapped Chris Rock, 57, during the 2022 Academy Awards. “I accept and respect the Academy’s decision,” he said in a very short statement on Friday April 8 to Page Six.
Will’s response came shortly after the Academy announced the plan to bar him from all Academy events for the next decade. “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,” AMPAS President David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson said in a statement.
The 10-year ban is only the most recent consequence of the “slap heard ’round the world.” The Academy had announced that it would begin a formal investigation and review of the incident shortly after the award show.
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