LOS ANGELES — One day after Will Smith struck Chris Rock across the face during Sunday night’s 94th Academy Awards, the shock waves from what some were calling “the slap heard around the world” continued to reverberate throughout Hollywood.
In the wake of the altercation, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences faced calls from some of its own members to punish Smith, who went on later to win the lead actor prize for his performance in the feel-good film “King Richard.” On Monday, academy leaders held an emergency meeting to discuss the unprecedented outburst of violence during what was intended to be a morale-boosting celebration of movies for a beleaguered film industry.
“The Academy condemns the actions of Mr. Smith at last night’s show,” the organization said in a statement. “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.”
