Following his slap of Chris Rock at the Academy Awards, Will Smith has been banned from attending the Oscars or any other academy event for 10 years on Friday.
The decision follows a meeting of the academy’s Board of Governors to discuss how to respond to Smith’s actions. It is unclear whether the ban will be extended to future nominations.
“The 94th Oscars were meant to be a celebration of the many individuals in our community who did incredible work this past year; however, those moments were overshadowed by the unacceptable and harmful behavior we saw Mr. Smith exhibit on stage,” the academy said in a statement.
Smith responded, “I accept and respect the Academy’s decision.”
During the week leading up to the meeting, he resigned from the academy, calling his actions “shocking, painful, and inexcusable.”
The academy furthermore apologized for how it handled the situation, including letting Smith to stay and accept his award for best actor for “King Richard.”
“During our telecast, we did not adequately address the situation in the room. For this, we are sorry,” the academy stated.
“This was an opportunity for us to set an example for our guests, viewers and our Academy family around the world, and we fell short — unprepared for the unprecedented. ”
