The Will Smith slap saga may be nearing its finale earlier than expected.
David Rubin, the president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, moved up a meeting by more than a week to discuss “possible sanctions” for Smith after the actor slapped comedian Chris Rock during last month’s Oscars ceremony, according to a letter obtained by CNN.
The meeting will now take place Friday rather than April 18, after Smith resigned from the Academy last week and can no longer be suspended.
“The April 18 date was set in accordance with California law and our Standards of Conduct because our agenda included possible suspension or expulsion of Mr. Smith from membership,” Rubin reportedly says in the letter.
“We were required to provide Mr. Smith notice 15 days prior to the board meeting at which such action might be taken, and also give him the opportunity to provide the board a written statement no less than five days prior to that meeting.”
The Academy didn’t immediately respond to a Daily News request for comment.
Smith struck Rock during the March 27 award show after the comedian joked he was looking forward to seeing the actor’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, in “G.I. Jane 2,” referring to a 1997 movie in which Demi Moore’s character has a shaved head.
Pinkett Smith shaved her head last year as she deals with alopecia, a condition that causes hair loss.
Smith, who won best actor at this year’s Oscars for the tennis biopic “King Richard,” apologized to Rock a day after the ceremony.
With his resignation from the Academy, Smith can no longer vote for Oscars but remains eligible to be nominated at future shows.
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