The Academy initiates disciplinary proceedings against Will Smith
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has begun disciplinary proceedings against Will Smith after he slapped host Chris Rock on the stage of Oscars 2022. The Academy’s board of governors, which met on Wednesday (March 30), said it has initiated disciplinary proceedings against Will Smith for violations against the group’s standards of conduct. The Academy also claimed that it asked the actor to leave the ceremony, but he refused to do the same.
In a statement on Wednesday, The Academy said, “Mr. Smith was asked to leave the ceremony and refused, but we also recognize we could have handled the situation differently… Consistent with the Academy’s Standards of Conduct, as well as California law, Mr Smith is being provided at least 15 days’ notice of a vote regarding his violations and sanctions, and the opportunity to be heard beforehand by means of a written response. At the next board meeting on April 18, the Academy may take any disciplinary action, which may include suspension, expulsion, or other sanctions permitted by the by-laws and standards of conduct.”
Chris Rock moves on
Comedian Chris Rock has finally broken his silence and addressed the Will Smith slap topic publicly at a standup show in Boston. “Whoa, okay!” he exclaimed upon entering the stage at the Wilbur Theatre in an all-white ensemble. Audience members in the 1,000-seat venue greeted the 57-year-old with a rock star’s welcome. Rock basked in the standing ovation, which thundered on for nearly two minutes, before he made another effort to get the ball rolling for the evening: “Yo, let me do the show!”
After a few additional moments of applause, Rock addressed the elephant in the room. “How was your weekend?” he began with a knowing wink, drawing a wave of laughter. “I don’t have much about what happened, so if you came to hear that, I have a whole show I wrote before this weekend. I’m still kind of processing what happened. So, at some point I’ll talk about it. And it will be serious and funny. I’m going to tell some jokes,” he said. “It’s nice to just be out,” he added. —IANS
