LOS ANGELES — On Thursday, one day after the motion picture academy announced it is launching disciplinary proceedings against Will Smith after he slapped Chris Rock during Sunday’s Oscars over a joke about his wife, questions continue to swirl around what exactly happened inside the Dolby Theatre in the fraught moments after the altercation.
In a statement issued Wednesday, the academy, which has faced fierce criticism over its handling of the incident, including from its own members, attempted to shift some of the responsibility to Smith, suggesting the actor had refused a request to leave the Dolby.
“While we would like to clarify that Mr. Smith was asked to leave the ceremony and refused, we also recognize we could have handled the situation differently,” the group said, calling Smith’s conduct “a deeply shocking, traumatic event to witness in-person and on television.”
