When the 94th Annual Oscars wrapped up, all people were talking about was Will Smith and the slap he delivered to Chris Rock.
While Smith apologized for his actions, he also said he would accept whatever punishment the Oscars handed down to him.
That punishment played out today as the Oscars has officially banned Smith from the ceremony.
Will Smith banned from Oscars
During the 94th Annual Academy Awards, Chris Rock came out to hand out the award for Best Documentary.
However, as with many presenters, he had a chance to deliver a joke or two before he did and he targeted Will Smith’s wife, Jade Pinkett Smith. Rock made fun of Pinkett’s bald head, saying he can’t wait to see her in G.I. Jane 2.
G.I. Jane was a Demi Moore military movie where she shaved her head for the role.
The problem is that Jade is not bald by choice.
Jada Pinkett Smith suffers from alopecia, which causes hair loss to the scalp. Rock claims he didn’t know about her condition before making the joke.
While Will laughed at the joke initially, Jada looked angry at the mocking of her disease, and that caused Will to head to the stage to defend his wife’s honor.
However, reacting to a comedian’s joke with physical violence violated the standards of conduct the Academy implemented following the #MeToo movement.
Following a 54-person meeting of the board of governors on Friday, the Academy chose to ban Will Smith from attending the Oscars for the next 10 years. He also can’t attend any other Academy event during that time.
Smith already announced he was resigning as a member of the Academy.
Smith responded through a spokesperson, saying, “I accept and respect the Academy’s decision.”
Only three members expelled based on new rules
Will Smith, who has been one of the most popular actors on the planet for well over two decades, was suspended. The Academy has only expelled three people based on the new standards of conduct.
However, the three ejections were for much more serious infractions.
Harvey Weinstein was expelled after multiple charges that saw him found guilty of two felonies and imprisoned until at least 2039.
Director Roman Polanski was expelled based on a conviction that saw him leave the country decades ago. In 2019, Polanski filed a lawsuit against the Academy, alleging it had not followed protocols in expelling him, but ultimately lost the suit.
Finally, Bill Cosby was expelled after he went to prison in 2018.