Will Smith’s fate could be decided tomorrow night at a meeting held by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Board of Governors – where his onstage assault of Chris Rock at Sunday’s Oscars is expected to be the main topic.
Disciplinary action could include anything from forcing him to hand back his Oscar to the most severe punishment – suspension from the Academy – which would put Smith among the ranks of Harvey Weinstein and Bill Cosby, who were both expelled for sexual misconduct.
A post-Oscars board meeting is always held to discuss the ceremony and address any concerns, but does not usually happen this soon, the Hollywood Reporter learned.
The decision to hold the meeting was made after the Academy met for an emergency call Monday night about the incident and released a statement announcing a launch of a formal review.
‘The Academy condemns the actions of Mr. Smith at last night’s show. 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.’
It appears that Smith, 53, may face some type of disciplinary action or sanction, though it’s unlikely he will be made to forfeit his prize, Variety reported.
The actor released an apology on Monday, saying his behavior was ‘unacceptable and inexcusable’ and left him ’embarrassed’.
His wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, 50, then broke her silence with an Instagram post that read, ‘This is a season for healing and I’m here for it.’
The post comes after her husband’s apology, which included a line that he hopes to be invited back to the Oscars.
While many are calling for Smith’s Oscar to be rescinded, guidelines in the Academy’s Code of Conduct – rewritten in 2017 during the height of the Me Too Movement – outline even more severe consequences.
A more severe punishment would be expulsion from the Academy, putting the ‘King Richard’ actor in a small group of people who have been expelled, including Harvey Weinstein, Bill Cosby, and Roman Polanski.
Weinstein was expelled ‘for ‘sexually predatory behavior and workplace harassment’ and Cosby and Polanski were expelled ‘in accordance with the organization’s Standards of Conduct’ after they had been convicted of sexual assault.
Weinstein and Polanski’s Oscars were never rescinded.
Will Smith slapped Chris Rock on stage at the Oscars on Sunday, after the comedian made a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith. On Monday, Smith apologized
Rock covers his jaw after being slapped in the face but went on to announce the winner for best documentary after a very awkward pause
On Monday’s airing of ‘The View,’ host Whoopi Goldberg, who is also a member of the board of governors, defended the actor and said, ‘We’re not going to take that Oscar from him. There will be consequences, I’m sure, but I don’t think that’s what they’ll do.’
But many Hollywood celebrities denounced Smith’s actions and called for his Oscar to be taken back.
Marshall Herskovitz, president emeritus of the Producers Guild of America, was among the first to condemn Smith, tweeting shortly after the attack that Smith had ‘disgraced our entire community’.
He said: ‘I call upon the Academy, of which I am a member, to take disciplinary action against Will Smith. He disgraced our entire community tonight.’
Herskovitz accused those who defended the actor of ‘moral cowardice’.
In one of the most shocking moments in the history of the vaunted awards show, Smith strode on stage Sunday and slapped Rock in the face after the comedian made a joke about the appearance of Smith’s wife.
Smith’s meltdown continued when he returned to his seat as he repeatedly screamed: ‘Keep my wife’s name out of your f***ing mouth’.
The crowd then fell into stunned silence – and any questions over whether the altercation was genuine were answered when just over half an hour later Smith was given the Best Actor award and apologized for the assault.
The actor released a statement on Monday, saying his behavior was ‘unacceptable and inexcusable’ and left him ’embarrassed’.
He wrote in an Instagram post that he was ’embarrassed’ by his actions, which shocked the ceremony attendees, producers and viewers.
‘Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive,’ he wrote.
‘My behavior at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable. Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada’s medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally.
‘I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness.’
Weinstein (pictured at the Oscars in 2014) was expelled from the Academy ‘for ‘sexually predatory behavior and workplace harassment.’ His Oscar was not rescinded
Bill Cosby (pictured in 2018 at his sentencing) was expelled from the Academy ‘in accordance with the organization’s Standards of Conduct’ after he had been convicted of sexual assault
Smith then went on to say sorry to the organizers and the producers of the show.
Rock has not responded to Smith’s apology, or commented on the Sunday night incident.
Smith also extended his apology to the family of Venus and Serena Williams.
Shortly after slapping Rock, Smith won the best actor award for his portrayal of their father Richard – but the story of their family was overshadowed by Smith’s attack.
Richard Williams – who the Oscar-winner portrays in King Richard – said after the attack that he condemns violence.
Chavoita LeSane, Williams’ son, told NBC: ‘We don’t know all the details of what happened. But we don’t condone anyone hitting anyone else unless it’s in self-defense.’
Smith said: ‘I would also like to apologize to the Academy, the producers of the show, all the attendees and everyone watching around the world,’ Smith continued.
‘I would like to apologize to the Williams Family and my King Richard Family.
‘I deeply regret that my behavior has stained what has been an otherwise gorgeous journey for all of us.’
The Philadelphia-born actor concluded: ‘I am a work in progress. Sincerely, Will.’
His apology came as the group that hands out the Oscars on Monday condemned Smith’s actions and said it had started a formal review of the incident that cast a shadow over the film honors.
Smith strode on stage during the live telecast and struck Rock in the face after the comedian made a joke about the appearance of Smith’s wife.
Smith’s meltdown continued when he returned to his seat as he repeatedly screamed: ‘Keep my wife’s name out of your f***ing mouth’.
The crowd then fell into stunned silence as it became clear the attack was genuine, and not staged.
Rock replied to him saying: ‘I’m going to, okay?’
He then laughed uncomfortably, saying: ‘That was the greatest night in the history of television’.
Smith’s sweary rant was muted by directors because the show’s live broadcast is slightly delayed in the US.
But it was aired in full to some international audiences with the uncut clip already been viewed more than a million times on social media and YouTube in the first few hours.
Any questions over whether the altercation was genuine were answered when just over half an hour later Smith was given the Best Actor award and apologized for the assault.
Will Smith had initially laughed at the Rock gag about Jada’s hair being short – a line of Demi Moore’s in GI Jane. His wife looked very unhappy and rolled her eyes
After smacking Rock, a now visibly fuming Smith returned to his seat and began repeatedly yelling: ‘Keep my wife’s name out of your f***ing mouth’. Lupita Nyong’o’ was among those baffled by what happened with many initially believing that an act so outrageous must be part of the show
Smith and Pinkett-Smith held hands throughout the ceremony after the shock slap. Denzel Washington was acting as peacemaker
In his acceptance speech a crying Smith said: ‘Love makes you do crazy things’, as he clutched his Oscar statuette.
‘You gotta be able to take abuse, and you gotta be able to have people talk crazy about you,’ Smith said.
‘In this business, you gotta be able to have people disrespecting you and you gotta smile and you gotta pretend like that’s OK.
‘Denzel (Washington) said to me a few minutes ago, he said, ‘At your highest moment, be careful. That’s when the devil comes for you.’
‘It’s like I want to be a vessel for love.
‘I want to say thank you to Venus and Serena. I want to say thank you to Venus and Serena and the entire Williams family for entrusting me with your story. That’s what I want to do. I want to be an ambassador of that kind of love and care and concern.’
The actor went on: ‘I want to apologize to the Academy, I want to apologize to all my fellow nominees.
‘Art imitates life. I look like the crazy father, just like they said. I look like the crazy father just like they said about Richard Williams. But love will make you do crazy things’.
He added: ‘I’m hoping the Academy invites me back. Thank you’.
Pinkett-Smith has been open about her struggle with alopecia, which happens when the immune system attacks hair follicles and causes hair loss. It affects around 700,000 Americans
Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith showed a united front after the row with Rock overshadowed his Oscar win
Shortly after the slap, Will added a comment to his own Instagram post, quipping: ‘You can’t invite people from Philly or Baltimore nowhere’
Smith’s relationship with his wife had been the butt of jokes during awards season.
At the BAFTAs in London a fortnight ago host Rebel Wilson targeted the couple when he won won the Leading Actor award for his role in King Richard.
The assembled audience at the Royal Albert Hall, which didn’t include the star who stayed in LA, groaned as she said his ‘best performance in the past year was being OK with all his wife’s boyfriends’ – a nod to Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith’s open relationship.
It came after he recently admitted his wife had ‘never believed in a conventional marriage’ and claims she had an affair. This may explain why he reacted so sensitively to Rock’s joke about her.
Journalists covering the awards ceremony from the press area were instructed not to ask any attendees about Smith slapping Rock, according to BBC correspondent David Sillito.
Late Sunday night, the LAPD issued a statement saying that Rock had not filed a police report against Smith, but that if he chooses to do so, police will investigate.
‘LAPD investigative entities are aware of an incident between two individuals during the Academy Awards program,’ the statement said. ‘The incident involved one individual slapping another.’
Smith sobs as he accepted his best actor award, and apologized for the violence – but did not say sorry to Chris Rock
In a statement on Monday, the 9,900-member Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said it ‘condemns the actions of Mr. Smith at last night’s show.’
‘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,’ the academy added.
The group’s standards of conduct policy states it is ‘categorically opposed to any form of abuse, harassment or discrimination’ and expects members to uphold the values ‘of respect for human dignity, inclusion, and a supportive environment that fosters creativity.’
Violations may result in suspension or expulsion from the group, revocation of Oscars, or loss of eligibility for future awards, according to the policy.
Marshall Herskovitz, president emeritus of the Producers Guild of America, was among the first to condemn Smith, tweeting shortly after the attack that Smith had ‘disgraced our entire community’.
He said: ‘I call upon the Academy, of which I am a member, to take disciplinary action against Will Smith. He disgraced our entire community tonight.’
Herskovitz accused those who defended the actor of ‘moral cowardice’.
‘People standing up and applauding after the first assault in 94 years of Oscar history. Moral cowardice,’ he said.
Several Hollywood celebrities denounced Smith’s actions.
Alec Baldwin posted to Instagram and Twitter his condemnation of Smith’s behavior.
‘I’m sorry the Oscars turned into the Jerry Springer Show,’ he said.