The Academy of Oscars has begun disciplinary proceedings against Will Smith, whose slap in the face of comedian Chris Rock at Sunday’s Oscars ceremony continues to cause a stir. The board of directors of the latter met on Wednesday, and considered that the actor had violated the regulations of the Academy, which condemns “inappropriate physical contact, abusive or dangerous behavior and the compromise of the integrity of the Academy. “The queen institution of American cinema gives the actor a period of at least 15 days to “be heard by means of a written response”. He risks expulsion from the Academy.
“While we wish to clarify that Will Smith was asked to leave the ceremony and declined, we also recognize that we could have handled the situation differently,” wrote the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. awards the Oscars.
It was a joke from Chris Rock about the shaved head of Jada Pinkett Smith, suffering from alopecia, a disease causing significant hair loss, which she revealed to be suffering from a few years ago, which had triggered the scandal on Sunday evening. Will Smith suddenly took the stage and slapped Chris Rock under the dumbfounded eyes of celebrities and viewers.
VIDEO. Will Smith and the consequences of his slap on Chris Rock: “He can be banned from Oscars”
The 53-year-old artist, who won the Oscar for best actor shortly after the incident for his role in “The Williams Method”, has since issued a public apology to Chris Rock and the Academy of Oscars.
“At some point, I’m going to talk about this shit”, reacts Chris Rock
Reacting for the first time publicly, Chris Rock for his part declared at the start of a show in Boston that he was “still digesting what happened”. Chris Rock, who did not wish to file a complaint after his assault, had not spoken publicly on the subject until Wednesday evening. “I don’t have much to say about what happened, so if you guys came to hear that, I have an entire show I wrote before this weekend. I’m still digesting what happened. So at some point I’m going to talk about this shit. And it will be serious and funny, ”he explained shortly after arriving on stage for a show in Boston, according to a short sound bite released by Variety magazine.
Hollywood is asking the organization to punish the star for his act of violence, which they say unfairly eclipsed the other winners of the evening. In a letter sent Wednesday morning to members of the Academy, the leaders said they were “scandalized” by the incident. “The broadcast of the 94th Academy Awards on Sunday was meant to be a celebration of the many people in our community who have done an incredible job over the past year,” reads the letter, signed by the Academy’s president, David Rubin, and General Manager Dawn Hudson. And to add: “We are upset and outraged that these moments have been overshadowed by the unacceptable and harmful behavior of a candidate on stage”, they continue.