After we all witnessed the slap that was heard around the world, it seems the incredibly-famous actor is starting to feel the consequences of his actions.
Related: Jim Carrey Slams “Spineless” Will Smith Oscars Audience, “Sickened” by Hollywood
This year’s Oscars were nothing short of captivating. While plenty of awards were given out, nothing was more monumental or jaw-dropping than what transpired between host Chris Rock and Will Smith center stage (literally).
During the show, Chris Rock poked fun at Jada Pinkett Smith about her recent haircut, likening her to “G.I. Jane”. While debates are going around about whether or not Rock knew about Pinkett’s condition with alopecia, the bigger discussion has been about what Will Smith did after the joke. Smith walked on stage, slapped Rock, and sat back down, yelling obscenities at Rock along the way. Audiences were stunned, at first thinking it was all a joke. Now, it is fully apparent that this was in fact not a joke and a very serious matter to Smith and his family.
Now it seems the Academy is following through with an intense punishment.
Related: Will Smith “Heartbroken,” Quits Oscars After Slapping Chris Rock
As reported by Florida Politics, the world-famous actor is now faced with a decade-long ban from the Oscars. The motion picture academy issued this ban on Friday, completely barring Will Smith from attending the Oscars or any other academy event for the next 10 years.
The Academy issued a statement calling Smith’s actions “unacceptable and harmful.”
We have already reported on instances of Smith’s career being in danger with multiple projects being put on halt after his actions at the award show. Shortly after the infamous night, Smith publicly apologized to Chris Rock as The Hollywood Reporter shared:
“I betrayed the trust of the Academy. I deprived other nominees and winners of their opportunity to celebrate and be celebrated for their extraordinary work. I am heartbroken. I want to put the focus back on those who deserve attention for their achievements and allow the Academy to get back to the incredible work it does to support creativity and artistry in film. So, I am resigning from membership in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and will accept any further consequences the Board deems appropriate.Change takes time and I am committed to doing the work to ensure that I never again allow violence to overtake reason.”
We will continue to follow and update this story as more information comes out.