Will Smith has been banned by the Academy from the Oscars and any releated Academy events for the next 10 years.
The news comes after the Academy fast tracked a meeting with the board of governors to decide the fate of the actor after he slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars on 27 March.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced earlier this week that it was going to advance its annual meeting by 10 days in order to discuss sanctions for Smith.
The original meeting, which was scheduled for 18 April, instead took place today (8 April) at 9am (PT). Three hours later a verdict was revealed, explaining that Smith would receive a decade long ban from any Academy events, in person and virtually.
In an open letter, Academy President David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson wrote that this year’s Oscars “were overshadowed by the unacceptable and harmful behavior we saw Mr Smith exhibit on stage.”
They continued: “This action we are taking today in response to Will Smith’s behavior 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.”
In a statement, Smith said: “I accept and respect the Academy’s decision.”
The ban is “including but not limited to the Academy Awards”, according to Jesse Rodriguez, Vice President of Editorial & Booking for MSNBC.
Five days after the slap, Smith sent an official resignation to the Academy, stripping him of his membership to the Oscars awards body.
Smith’s resignation was accepted, but AMPAS president David Rubin commented: “We will continue to move forward with our disciplinary proceedings against Mr Smith for violations of the Academy’s Standards of Conduct.”
