Oscar Academy condemns Will Smith’s slap in the face and opens investigation
Here Will Smith slaps Chris Rock on stage
Hollywood star Will Smith caused a shock moment at the Oscars. During the ceremony, he punches comedian Chris Rock in the face. He had previously insulted his wife. He still got an Oscar.
It was the scandal of the evening: At the Oscars, actor Will Smith slapped comedian Chris Rock. The Oscar Academy initiates a formal investigation – and wants to examine further consequences.
Dhe Oscar Academy has condemned and launched an investigation into Hollywood star Will Smith’s assault on comedian Chris Rock at this year’s Oscars. “The Academy condemns the actions of Mr. Smith at yesterday’s show,” the Academy of Motion Picture Art and Sciences said Monday. “We have officially launched a formal investigation into the incident and will consider further steps and consequences (…).”
The internal rules of the organization, the code of conduct as well as Californian law would be observed. The previous evening, the academy had initially only generally stated in the short message service Twitter that it “does not tolerate any form of violence”.
Smith slapped Rock hard at Sunday night’s Oscars on the stage at Hollywood’s Dolby Theater after the comedian made a joke about Smith’s hair-losing wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.
Shortly thereafter, Smith won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in the film King Richard. In his acceptance speech, Smith tearfully apologized to the Oscar Academy and the other nominees – but not to Chris Rock.
Immediately after the incident, many fans on social media and also observers in US media had wondered whether it was an actual outburst of anger by Will Smith or a prearranged scene. Smith’s acceptance speech, however, suggested that he had indeed briefly lost his temper.
After the end of the show, the US broadcaster ABC released a statement from the Los Angeles Police Department that said they were aware of an incident at the awards ceremony in which one person slapped another. The attacked refused to report the incident.