After assaulting Chris Rock at the Oscars shamed Will Smith has resigned from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The Academy’s board of governors initiated what they call a “disciplinary proceeding” but instead decided to punish himself with resignation.
Smith attacked comedian Chris Rock at the Oscars when he compared Jada Pinkett Smith, Will’s wife to G.I. Jane due to her evident baldness. Initially, Smith laughed, but then walked onto the stage and struck the comedian.
Deadline reported, On March 30, after a sometimes-contentious virtual meeting of the more than 50 Governors including the likes of Steven Spielberg, Ava DuVernay, and Rita Wilson, Smith was informed that he had 15 days to respond in writing to their assertion that he violated the Academy’s standards of conduct with his violent behavior on March 27. The group then was scheduled to meet on April 18 to decide Smith’s fate.
Deadline alleges that their sources predicted that he may have been expelled from the academy for a decade or longer. Instead, he’s out forever. Smith described himself as “heartbroken” and his own behavior as “shocking, painful, and inexcusable,” in a statement.
Smith apologized for having hurt “Chris, his family, many of my dear friends and loved ones, all those in attendance, and global audiences at home.” He also noted that he has betrayed the trust of the academy and “deprived” other winners of their opportunity to celebrate.
The Fresh Prince concluded his statement by saying “Change takes time and I am committed to doing the work to ensure that I never again allow violence to overtake reason.”