Will Smith Responds To The Academy’s Decision To Ban Him For 10 Years

2J1T44E Will Smith walks of the stage after hitting at Chris Rock as Rock spoke on stage during the 94th Academy Awards in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, U.S., March 27, 2022. REUTERS/Brian Snyder

Will Smith has spoken.

Will Smith is facing the consequences of his violent decisions. On Friday, April 8th, the Academy officially announced that the 53-year-old has been banned from the Oscars and any other Academy events “for a period of 10 years,” beginning today.

“During our telecast, we did not adequately address the situation in the room. For this, we are sorry. 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,” Academy CEO Dawn Hudson and President David Rubin wrote in a letter following a committee meeting this morning.

Not long after the news broke, the father of three shared his response exclusively to Entertainment Tonight. “I accept and respect the Academy’s decision,” he said, keeping things short and simple.

“This action we are taking today in response to Will Smith’s behaviour is a step toward a larger goal of protecting the safety of our performers and guests and restoring trust in the Academy. We also hope this can begin a time of healing and restoration for all involved and impacted,” the Academy said of their decision.

Elsewhere in their statement, the organization addressed Chris Rock’s impressive maintenance of his composure after being slapped. “We want to express our deep gratitude to Mr. Rock for maintaining his composure under extraordinary circumstances. We also want to thank our hosts, nominees, presenters and winners for their poise and grace during our telecast.”

[Via]