Will Smith has formally withdrawn his membership from The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences following the tense physical exchange he had with Chris Rock during the live broadcast of the 94th Annual Academy Awards on Sunday.
The Academy has already launched a formal investigation into the incident that found Smith slapping comedian Chris Rock after he made a joke about Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s bald haircut, which she has publicly spoken about as being a choice made to an ongoing medical issue that has prompted intense hair loss.
After the altercation, Smith repeatedly told Rock “keep my wife’s name out of your f*cking mouth” as the stunned host attempted to move on and present the Oscar in the Best Documentary Feature category.
Smith apologized to The Academy during his acceptance speech for the Best Actor Oscar, and made a formal apology to Chris Rock and again The Academy via Instagram on Monday evening.
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