Will Smith is, by far, the most-talked-about person on the planet this morning. The rapper-turned-actor made global headlines after he slapped Chris Rock during the live broadcast of Sunday’s 94th Academy Awards.
Chris Rock became the target of Will Smith’s frustration after the Best Documentary Feature award presenter joked about Will Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. The comedian made fun of Jada’s autoimmune condition known as alopecia.
Last night also saw Will Smith win the Best Actor honor for King Richard. However, there is now a conversation about whether the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will rescind Will’s Oscar.
Some industry insiders are supposedly pointing out that the Academy established a code of conduct in 2017. Will Smith may have violated those rules when he publicly attacked Chris Rock inside the Dolby Theatre on Sunday.
The Academy Rarely Overturns Oscar Wins
“It’s basically assault. Everyone was just so shocked in the room, it was so uncomfortable,” a source told the New York Post. “I think Will would not want to give his Oscar back, but who knows what will happen now.”
Several Academy Award nominations have been rescinded in the past for various reasons related to ineligible nominees. Back in 1969, the Academy named Journey into Self as Best Documentary Feature after the award was taken away from Young Americans for violating eligibility requirements.
Numerous Oscar nominees and winners have broken the law before and after being recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. For example, Roman Polanski (The Pianist) won Best Director in 2002, twenty-four years after he fled to France to avoid sentencing for an unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor conviction.
Tonight we are delighted to celebrate our 94th Academy Awards winners, who deserve this moment of recognition from their peers and movie lovers around the world.
Chris Rock Refuses To Press Charges Against Will Smith
The Academy released a brief statement about the Will Smith/Chris Rock altercation. A tweet from the organization read, “The Academy does not condone violence of any form. Tonight we are delighted to celebrate our 94th Academy Awards winners, who deserve this moment of recognition from their peers and movie lovers around the world.”
Later in the show, Will Smith apologized to the Academy and his fellow nominees for his actions. However, the 4-time Grammy winner did not offer an apology to Chris Rock during his acceptance speech for Best Actor.
While Will Smith deals with the public fallout from slapping Chris Rock on live television, the 53-year-old superstar apparently does not have to worry about going to jail. The Los Angeles Police Department revealed Rock declined to file a report against Smith.
