The President and CEO of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences sent a letter to members on Tuesday saying they were outraged that Will Smith’s conduct overshadowed the “celebration of ‘ of the Oscars and the board will make a decision on the appropriate action for the actor. , although it may take a few weeks.
A formal review was initiated after officers on the Academy’s board convened an emergency call about King Richard actor, who took to the stage during Sunday’s live broadcast and slapped Rock after the comedian joked about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. The investigation will determine whether any further action is required in accordance with the Academy’s Standards of Conduct and California law.
Tuesday’s letter, signed by Academy president David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson and distributed to members of the foundation, indicated that the 94th Academy Awards “is to honor the many individuals in our community who have done incredible work over the past year. Instead, they wrote, those moments were “overshadowed by a nominee’s unacceptable and harmful on-stage behavior.”
After the physical confrontation, Smith continued to shout at Rock from his seat in the audience: “Get my wife’s name out of your mouth.” Rock, who created a GI Jane The joke about Pinkett Smith – a reference to her shaved head (the actress has spoken out about her being diagnosed with alopecia areata) – seemed a little shaky, but continued to award the documentary. best when the evening goes on.
Not long after, Smith won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Richard Williams, the father of two famous tennis players Venus and Serena Williams, in King Richardand apologized to the Academy and its nominees in his emotional acceptance speech.
Rubin and Hudson reiterated that the Academy still condemns Smith’s actions, as said in an earlier statement. “As outlined in our statutes, the Academy Board of Governors will now make a determination on the appropriate course of action for Mr. Smith,” the letter sent Tuesday read. “As governed by California law regarding membership of nonprofit organizations like the Academy and set forth in our Standards of Conduct, this is subject to a formal process that will take several weeks. .”
Former Academy president Sid Ganis was among the members who weighed in on the controversy, saying he felt it was not the place to penalize Smith. “I think it’s two men who are really at odds and it’s up to them, not the Academy, not any of us,” he argued. However, cast member Rutanya Alda disagrees with that. “I think security should have taken him out immediately instead of letting him sit there spewing unacceptable language at Chris Rock,” she said. “Someone else should have accepted his award. Why is he getting a pass? ”
The Smith and Rock moment became the subject of commentary on late-night television, while a number of stars from Mia Farrow, Jim Carey to Rob Reiner condemned Smith’s behaviour.
Read the full letter from the Academy below.
Dear members,
Sunday’s telecast of the 94th Academy Awards was held to honor the many individuals in our community who have done incredible work over the past year. We are saddened and outraged that those moments were overshadowed by the unacceptable and harmful on-stage behavior of a nominee.
For greater clarity, we condemn Mr. Smith’s actions that took place on Sunday night.
As outlined in our statutes, the Academy Board of Governors will now make a decision on the appropriate course of action for Mr. Smith. As governed by California law regarding membership of nonprofit organizations such as the Academy and set forth in our Standards of Conduct, this is subject to a formal process that will take several weeks.
We will continue to keep you updated on any developments, but we also ask that you respect your Board of Directors, Academy staff, and the process as it progresses so that it can operate in the considered manner that it was intended and authorized.
Please trust that the Board of Governors will conduct this process in a manner that is both efficient and respectful to all involved while upholding Academy standards.
Thank you,
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
David Rubin
chairperson
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Dawn Hudson
CEO
