The organisers of the Oscars say they will start a formal review of the incident in which Will Smith slapped comedian Chris Rock on stage at yesterday's ceremony.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said it "condemns the actions of Mr Smith at last night's show".
"We have officially started a formal review around the incident and will explore further action and consequences in accordance with our Bylaws, Standards of Conduct and California law," the academy added.
It was not immediately clear how the review would be carried out or when it would be completed.
Could Will Smith lose his Oscar?
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the matter is likely to be discussed at the next meeting of the academy's board of governors, which convenes after each Oscars to review the ceremony.
It said some sanction was likely, such as the suspension of Smith's membership of the academy, but that the formal review would probably stop short of seeing Smith's best actor Oscar revoked.
Smith walked on stage and slapped Rock after the latter made a joke about Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.
According to a report on CNN, Oscars organisers "strongly considered" removing Smith from the venue after the incident, however they were spread out across the theatre and "couldn't mobilise to make a decision before he won best actor".
Whoopi Goldberg, a member of the board of governors, commented on the incident on The View.
"We're not going to take that Oscar from him," she said.
"There will be consequences, I'm sure."
However some Academy members, like writer-producer Marshall Herskovitz, called for the academy to take disciplinary action against Smith.
"He disgraced our entire community tonight," wrote Herskovitz on Twitter.
Dancing Smith defended at Oscars afterparties
In the press room backstage at the ceremony, where winners take questions from the media, the academy tried to stifle questions about the incident, at one point stopping Jessica Chastain from talking about it.
But that did not prevent the moment from overwhelming talk at the Oscar afterparties. Some came to Smith's defence, including presenter Tiffany Haddish, who co-starred with Pinkett Smith in Girls Trip.
“Maybe the world might not like how it went down, but for me, it was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen because it made me believe that there are still men out there that love and care about their women, their wives,” Haddish told People magazine.
"I wish I had a man to protect me like that," she said.
Smith, meanwhile, proudly posed for photographs with his family outside the Vanity Fair party. Inside, the former rapper danced to one of his own songs, Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It, while clutching his Oscar.
The couple's son Jaden tweeted: “And That’s How We Do It.” On Instagram, Smith posted: “Me ’n Jada Pinkett Smith got all dressed up to choose chaos.”
Director Alberto Mieglo, who earlier won the best animated short award, said he thought the incident was staged until he heard Smith start swearing. "I'm sure they both feel now very bad and nervous about it. And it probably eclipsed the whole show. So let's — let's try to forget about it," he said.
Rock's joke wasn't part of rehearsals, sources say
Smith strode on stage during the televised ceremony and struck Rock in the face after the comedian made a joke about Pinkett Smith's appearance.
Rock had said: "Jada, I love you. GI Jane 2, can't wait to see it." The joke was not part of Rock’s routine during rehearsals for the show, according to an Associated Press report citing two unnamed sources.
Pinkett Smith has a shaved head and has spoken publicly about her alopecia, a condition which causes hair loss.
Back in his seat, Smith twice shouted for Rock to "get my wife's name out your f***ing mouth". The audio on the US broadcast was cut for about 15 seconds.
Minutes later, Smith won best actor for his role in King Richard. During his acceptance speech, Smith apologised to the Academy and his fellow nominees — but not to Rock.
After the show the Academy posted a statement condemning violence.
Oscars producer Will Packer described the incident as "a very painful moment for me. On many levels".
He had earlier been criticised for tweeting "Welp ... I said it wouldn't be boring" in the immediate aftermath of the ceremony.
The Los Angeles Police Department said it was aware of a slapping incident at the Oscars but said the person involved had declined to file a police report.
ABC/wires
