Film Academy Bans Will Smith from Oscars Ceremony for 10 Years
Category: News & Politics
Via: john-russell • 2 years ago • 70 commentsBy: Scott Feinberg (The Hollywood Reporter)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Twelve days after Will Smithslapped and screamed profanities at Chris Rock during the 94th Academy Awards ceremony, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has ruled that Smith — who was presented with the best actor Oscar later that same evening — has been banned from returning to the Oscars or attending any other Academy events for the next 10 years.
The Academy's 54-person board of governors held a special meeting on Friday morning to determine what action to take against Smith. Until one week ago, when Smith announced that he was resigning as a member of the organization, he was expected to face suspension or expulsion, having violated the standards of conduct that the Academy implemented after the outbreak of the #MeToo movement.
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Many members of the industry have expressed outrage over Smith's behavior, which he himself called "shocking, painful and inexcusable." Some even called for him to lose the Oscar statuette that he was awarded and/or his eligibility for future Oscars. But the Academy appears to have doubled-down on its long-held position that there is a line between on-screen work and off-screen conduct. (Harvey Weinstein and Roman Polanski have been expelled from the organization, but each still has the Oscar statuette awarded to them prior to that.)
Smith, one of Hollywood's most popular leading men for decades, exploded after Rock made a joke referencing the baldness of Smith's wife, actress Jada Pinkett Smith, who suffers from alopecia. (Rock reportedly went off-script and improvised the joke, not knowing of Pinkett Smith's condition.) Pinkett Smith looked nonplussed, apparently prompting Smith, who initially laughed at the joke, to snap, as attendees looked on in disbelief.
The Academy's CEO Dawn Hudson and president David Rubin and Oscars ceremony producer Will Packer have since been under fire for failing to remove Smith from the Dolby Theatre. They have issued contradicting statements about whether or not the actor was asked to leave. Smith remained at the ceremony until it was over, then skipped the Academy's Governors Ball and made his way to the Vanity Fair Oscar party, where he danced to some of his own songs. He did not apologize to Rock until Monday.
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I feel like they're going from bad to worse.
10 years?
He's already lost most of his near future career and has gone into seclusion.
Give him a break.
Read last week that he checked himself into some kind of rehab.
They tried to make me go to rehab.
I said oh no no....
Rehab for stress? Where I come from we call that a vacation
It's not too cold for the beach?
We're going fishing next week
Weekend is gonna be a bit cool. Only 60's but then it straightens up into the 70's and 80's starting Monday. Can still get some sun and we got a hell of a deal on the condo across the street from the beach. Friend of ours just bought it last year and we are getting it for $200 for the whole week. I think that is the cleaning fee he gets charged when he rents it through the agency. It is spring break in the school system so it's opportune
That is a good deal!
Usually goes for $1,950.00 in peak season.
He played a stupid game and got a stupid prize. He brought this on himself and has no one to blame but himself. Give him a break...oh please.
Of course he brought it on himself. I think a 10 year ban is a bit much for a slap.
If a white actor had slapped Chris Rock you'd be calling for a lifetime ban and demanding the Academy take away his Oscar.
l o l
There is no excuse for violence.
I notice it didn't say they stopped him from being a member, only can't go to events.
I could be wrong but it sounds like a slap on the wrist for a slap.
It was not just for the slap. It was also for the F bombs which the FCC could have hit him with big time fines.
Please ! I've never been and never will be invited and it doesn't bother me in the least and I doubt it will bother him very much either. He should have been banned for life or better yet invite him back and put him front row but station a huge bouncer right next to him who does nothing but stare at him with a "I'll rip your head off" look on his face all night.
It is a bit much, but be that as it may (10 awards showings) it was the slap heard around the world. The Academy was embarrassed. And it is possible that a hard-line needed to be established so that each year presentations don't slide downhill with escalating contact between members, hosts, and guests.
Normally, these are "image" people and their physical forms (faces and body parts) are assumed to be industry 'covered' as it is how each individual is 'bankable.' A suitable punishment is/was called for-because big egos can do 'bigger' damages than any slap! Just let the imagination run wild, if Rock had forced the situation to 'conclusion' right then and there! Not a good look!
Kidding? He can still receive the award, he just cannot accept it personally. It's a very token hand slap.
So you think he's a victim of racism?
What a stupid question.
Consider the source.
I love Will Smith to death. I love his movies, his music, his wife... I love that he defended his wife, although I wish he would have been less...energetic...about it.
Personal story: I had him on a flight from LA to Houston during the time he starred on the Fresh Prince of Bel Aire. He was by himself; there were no handlers or friends or girlfriends or whomever one would expect to be around such a big star who was taking a flight out of LAX. He was unrecognizable in a baseball cap and sunglasses. The only reason we (as his flight crew) knew his identity was that we would receive notices with our pre-boarding lists. Things like 'convicted serial killer handcuffed to two, armed FBI agents in seats 31 DEF' would be added. In our case, it was 'Actor Will Smith in seat 3A'. Our plane had yet to land and taxi to the gate, so we waited along with everyone else in the lounge area. There were several kids, probably ages 9 to 16, who were running around annoying the crap out of pretty much everyone, including their parents, other passengers, and of course, the gate agents. Then, Will Smith takes off his hat and sunglasses, and it was like the calm after a storm. Those kids were drawn to him with awe and respect. It was like they were surrounding Jesus on the Mount. Will kept those kids quiet and occupied until our aircraft arrived at the gate. I'll never know for sure, but I swear he did that just to help out the exasperated parents, passengers, gate agents, and anyone else having to deal with all that childhood energy.
Will Smith is too good of a guy to let a moment's lapse in judgment define the rest of his life. OK, so it was a REALLY BIG lapse in judgment, but still...
What a great story.
I’m sorry, I had to shake that off and pick up my jaw.
Give Will Smith a break? Whyyyy?
He committed a battery and didn’t get charged for it. He was not removed from the theater. He struck another man who chose not to strike him back. About 15 minutes after he did all this, he received a standing ovation. Not one of them threw him any boos. Other big stars walked up to him and gave him comfort, and a hug, or they prayed with him, but none of them did that for Chris Rock.
Pardon my French, but how in the actual F^&% does he need a break? He already has received a shitload of breaks.
If Chris Rock swore out a criminal complaint against Smith it would have been ridiculous. If Smith wanted to hurt Chris Rock he would have punched him with a closed fist. He wanted to embarrass Rock. While mean spirited and narcissistic (and could have injured Rock under certain circumstances), it was not the kind of attack that sends people to jail.
You’re a regular person. Walk up to someone in public and slap them. I can’t wait to see how that rationalization for violence goes for you when the cops show up.
And they will.
In fact, cops were present at the Oscars, and they were inviting Rock to press charges. So people absolutely do go to jail for slapping people. I don't know where you got that crazy notion.
There is another story here. Evidently the Academy really didn't have any security there that night.
Had Smith been subdued or removed there wouldn't have been an incident.
A little public shaming by ejecting Will Smith that night would have gone a long way in making things right for Chris Rock. Instead, they let him stay, gave him an award and applause. I think they were afraid he would make a bigger scene, resist, and they'd have to arrest a Black Man at the Oscars. Now they give him a slap on the wrist and ban him from their little club for ten years, big deal! He still gets to keep his award. This is not an appropriate penalty it's like having your library card suspended but there's not that much they can do at this point. They missed their chance at the only meaningful punishment they could have given him and that was making him leave that night, all this is just too little too late.
So you would ask to remover (cancel) the 10 year ban and give some other "meaningful punishment"? Do you fully understand what appearances can do for actors at these "high-caliber social events"? Anyway, try this on for a 'good fit': Have Will Smith come in, standing or sitting, and with cameras rolling, allow Chris Rock slap him. Immediately after, stipulate that Will Smith must say live, and I quote:
"Chris Rock just slapped the SHIT out of me."
Would this be sufficient public shaming, in your opinion?
That's interesting. Because it suggests mind-reading is a thing at the Academy Awards show. Get out of ahead of Will Smith hearing the joke by ringing the stage with barbs of security?
No! When they failed to remove Smith from the Theater after the assault, they threw away their only chance to give Chris Rock the respect and justice he deserves. They don't have the power impose a meaningful penalty considering the severity of the infraction. Will Smith is worth in excess of 350 million dollars, he's one of the biggest stars in Hollywood, he doesn't need the Academy to make contacts or raise his profile. Will Smith getting banned from the Academy is like you getting banned from the community pool when you have your own Olympic sized pool at home, it doesn't matter a bit. After Will Smith slapped Chris Rock, the Academy allowed him to stay as if nothing had happened, then invited him up on stage, presented him with the highest honor they can give, then listened to him give a speech and applauded him. The Slap was just a small part of the humiliation Chris Rock had to endure that night, Will smacked Chris and then the Academy kicked him in the proverbial balls for the rest of the night.
Well, you just pointed out why despite any new Will Smith upcoming projects ('feast' or "famine" offers or terminations by producers, directors, and committees) that hold up, production companies will wonder about the politics of the Academy weighing giving the 'effort' its most prestigious award. Hollywood has it way of 'blackballing' and 'disciplining' its own.
In on-going developments
Chris Rock is about to have it " Will Smith -raining' up in this 'mug'!
They really think he is going to attend another Academy ceremony? Seriously, after he quit the Academy. This is pure retaliation on their part to try and not look completely pathetic. They still not only look pathetic; but spiteful now.
Smith isn't done. He is too popular of an actor for someone not to give him another shot in a reclamation role. If it turns into a success then the Academy will be begging for him to come back. Can't have actors with that type of drawing power not being a member; it would hurt their image.
It won't hurt him or stop him from working.
I think the star power of old is waning. With all the streaming places making their own content, they don't have the power they once did. There is so much out there one cannot rely on one particular 'star'.
Hell, I had never even heard of the movie he won an award for.
King Richard , which Smith won the oscar for, is the story of the father of tennis superstars Venus and Serena Williams, and how he (and their mother) trained them for years to be the "best" tennis players in the world. Richard Williams was a bit of an odd ball figure who had to do everything his own way. To his credit , I suppose, it worked and their dreams came true. Smith was quite good in the movie, whether it was oscar worthy acting is always a matter of personal opinion.
That father had one goal, to make his daughters into tennis stars. He even said once in an interview that if they didn't show promise, he would keep on having kids until he got one who did.
I think they were 5 or 6 years old when they started practicing tennis every day. The movie never really explained how either Richard or his wife got so knowledgeable about tennis, since they didnt talk about having been really good tennis players themselves.
Actors rarely win awards for movies that are really popular. They like High Art or a Socially Conscious message or some other crap. Like I'm going to pay to see a movie about a Tennis family, not going to happen.
I saw the other day, one of the people on the board was Whoopie Goldberg.
Is anybody besides me over this Will Smith/Chris Rock thing? I rarely go to the movies and most movies today bore the shit out of me. I stopped caring about this the morning I heard about it.
Is anybody besides me over this Will Smith/Chris Rock thing?
I was over it on day 2. That said, I did enjoy King Richard although I couldn't help feeling that it should have been more about Serena and Venus and less about their father.
I was over it within about an hour. I expected an apology; it came. I expected the academy to do 'something' punitive to Will Smith, they did (and overreacted). I expected Chris Rock to be cool; he was.
My concern has been Ukraine, our economy and world dynamics (i.e. are we going to grow more adversarial or less?).
I was over it within about an hour.
Oh yeah? Well, I was over it before it happened.
Trouble is, we have some serious competing priorities that we cannot seem to reconcile.
We need to cut back on our emissions and seriously deal with climate change. Plus we need to become as independent from rogue (or potentially rogue) nations as much as we can.
But we cannot compromise the economy too much in doing this because the economy underpins everything. For example, if we are actively doing good in terms of AGW but people are in economic stress, they will object and a slew of new problems will emerge. We need to find a way to keep our economy at a decent pace while responsibly dealing with the mess we are making of our planet.
So, for example, we cannot just abruptly stop our dependence upon oil. Not only is that simply not possible due to entrenched infrastructure, but artificial measures which rise the price of oil products to cut demand ultimately harm most Americans (moderate to low income people) whose budgets cannot gracefully handle the inflation.
And then we have the border ... and the never-ending pandemic ...
And since the two major parties are populated with power-seeking, narcissistic children, there is no hope (at least in the near term) to see responsible, practical leadership from those who should be guiding our nation (and influencing the balance of the planet) in a responsible manner.
In short, other than noting that Will Smith had a very balanced form when he slapped Chris (good style from a martial arts perspective) this event means absolutely nothing.
LOL Okay, sister, you win.
I was going to say something smart assy to both of you but I'm not in the mood to spank myself
Oh go ahead. As long as you don't incessantly dwell on irrelevant, nit-picky nonsense I am good (had more than my fill of that recently).
America has been a celebrity crazy country for a long long time. If Trump didnt have a popular game show on the air for years he probably wouldnt have been elected in 2016. We have the Kardashians , many of whom, I guess, are very rich now from "influencing" people to buy certain products. There are dozens of streaming shows that are about music or entertainment or fashion celebrities. It is not at all surprising that people are interested in this story.
I know.
It is most definitely NOT all hysteria.
Which is good because a) it is impractical and counter-productive to engage in a massive quick change and b) I think it is impossible to actually pull off.
We need to evolve, at a reasonable pace that allows both people and the infrastructure the ability to acclimate to the change.
I think you are correct, JR.
It is frustrating. And since these are serious matters it is also maddening that we have clowns in power (I am referring to Congress more than anything else).
Most of America cannot financially handle a sudden major shift.
I think you just moved a bit too far into cynicism for me to continue with a serious reply.
I did not take your comment as combative, magic; it is that I just do not share your cynicism. Simple as that.
This, however, signals that you want to be combative. If so, then that is a shame because this site is already replete with people who want to pick petty, childish fights.
Triple effervescent snort!!
Well, y'all must understand I was a 'terminal-tied' hot mess after seeing two mega-players acting badly in public! I literally found my self in a state of shock and had to take to my 'cushions' with a compound elixir I concocted.
AMEN!!
Sounds about right. It’s not a lifetime ban and it only covers going to events. He could still win awards.
I have no doubt he will continue to get work. He makes too much money for everybody for them not to work with him. And even if he doesn’t get work, he’s already a kajillionaire.
Meanwhile, he gets away with a violent assault. After pissing all over Chris Rock (figuratively) on global television and the internet, not to mention absolutely ruining the awards show, he got to keep his dignity and his seat at the show. He received a standing ovation not 20 minutes later. He got a bunch of hugs and comfort from other movie stars, whereas Chris Rock doesn’t appear to have gotten nearly as much attention.
I think it was Jimmy Kimmel who suggested the best punishment: Comedy Central needs to air a roast of Will Smith, hosted by Chris Rock.
No doubt Smith hired a crisis management team, and no doubt they advised him to lay low for a very long time. I don't think we will be hearing from him any time soon.
I think the 'fine' is just. After all, it can not be argued that an assault occurred on Oscar air time. And technically, Chris Rock, may have cause to sue the production company. But, that is mere speculation on my part. What has happened is Will gets 'served,' because he did not talk with Chris about the matter, but violated a "sacred rule": Smith's rights end at Rock's person. That is, without a doubt, Will had no right to lay a finger on Chris rock (and he certainly did do so)! The consequences (so far) seem to be proportional seeing that no charges are filed. To be clear(er): If somebody later files charges, that would be appropriate too!