The Academy – AMPAS – has already lied, misrepresented and failed to get their story straight about Will Smith and his on-stage slap of Chris Rock. The only thing that’s clear is that the Academy (meaning, the Board of Governors and the higher-ups) has been prepared this whole time to punish Will Smith and take a very un-nuanced view of what happened. If I was in Will’s place, I would probably have just let my two apologies (the one on stage at the Oscars and his IG apology the next day) do all the talking and just sit back and watch everything play out. But the thing is, Will Smith is genuinely remorseful and genuinely sorry. Which means he decided to give up his Academy membership before they could take it away from him:
In the wake of slapping Chris Rock onstage at the Oscars, Will Smith said Friday that he is resigning from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. In a statement obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, Smith said he was heartbroken and would accept all consequences for his conduct during Sunday’s ceremony.
“My actions at the 94th Academy Awards presentation were shocking, painful, and inexcusable. The list of those I have hurt is long and includes Chris, his family, many of my dear friends and loved ones, all those in attendance, and global audiences at home,” Smith said. “I betrayed the trust of the Academy. I deprived other nominees and winners of their opportunity to celebrate and be celebrated for their extraordinary work. I am heartbroken. I want to put the focus back on those who deserve attention for their achievements and allow the Academy to get back to the incredible work it does to support creativity and artistry in film.”
Earlier this week, the Academy began disciplinary proceedings against Smith after a meeting of its board of governors, and issued a statement saying Smith was asked to leave the show following the slap but that he refused. The statement didn’t provide details, but acknowledged that the Academy “could have handled the situation differently.” One board member told THR that it still wasn’t made clear who asked Smith to leave, or the sequence of events, while two other sources said there was never a request made directly to the actor.
Smith’s resignation means he can no longer vote for the Oscars — but he can still be nominated for Academy Awards, attend future ceremonies and keep the statue he won. Still, the Academy’s formal review will continue.
“We have received and accepted Mr. Will Smith’s immediate resignation from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences,” Academy president David Rubin said in a statement. “We will continue to move forward with our disciplinary proceedings against Mr. Smith for violations of the Academy’s Standards of Conduct, in advance of our next scheduled board meeting on April 18.”
Again, I would handle it differently in his shoes, but I understand why he’s doing this and why he’s falling on his sword so thoroughly. Beyond his actual remorse, he wants to demonstrate his remorse publicly and save the Academy the trouble of doing taking away his membership, in a sort of “you can’t fire me, I quit” way. I wonder if there’s a slight calculation being made here too, which is that if the Academy really pursues any further punitive measures, they’ll look like they’re overreacting or biased.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red and Instar.
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- North America Rights Only – Los Angeles, USA -20220327- Vanity Fair Oscar Dinner held at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California -PICTURED: Will Smith -PHOTO by: INSTARimages.com Disclaimer: This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact INSTAR Images for licensing fee and rights information at sales@instarimages.com or call +1 212 414 0207. This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. INSTAR Images reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded For images containing underage children: Be advised that some Countries may have restricted privacy laws against publishing images of underage children. Inform yourself! Underage children may need to be removed or have their face pixelated before publishing
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- Oscar® nominee Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith during the 94th Oscars® at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood in Los Angeles, CA, on Sunday, March 27, 2022.,Image: 673515422, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: Avalon Licensing Ltd. do not claim any Copyright of the attached image WORLD RIGHTS- Fee Payable Upon reproduction – For queries contact Avalon sales@Avalon.red London +44 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles +1 310 822 0419 Berlin +49 30 76 212 251 Madrid +34 91 533, Model Release: no, Credit line: Avalon.red / Avalon
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- Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith during the live ABC telecast of the 94th Oscars® at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood in Los Angeles, CA, on Sunday, March 27, 2022.,Image: 673515557, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: Avalon Licensing Ltd. do not claim any Copyright of the attached image WORLD RIGHTS- Fee Payable Upon reproduction – For queries contact Avalon sales@Avalon.red London +44 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles +1 310 822 0419 Berlin +49 30 76 212 251 Madrid +34 91 533, Model Release: no, Credit line: Avalon.red / Avalon
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- Oscar® nominee Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith arrives on the red carpet of the 94th Oscars® at the Dolby Theatre at the Ovation Hollywood in Los Angeles, CA, on Sunday, March 27, 2022.,Image: 673541241, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: Avalon Licensing Ltd. do not claim any Copyright of the attached image WORLD RIGHTS- Fee Payable Upon reproduction – For queries contact Avalon sales@Avalon.red London +44 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles +1 310 822 0419 Berlin +49 30 76 212 251 Madrid +34 91 533, Model Release: no, Credit line: Avalon.red / Avalon
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- Will Smith attends the 2022 Vanity Fair Oscar Party Hosted By Radhika Jones celebrating the 94th annual Academy Awards at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on March 27, 2022 in Beverly Hills, California,Image: 673579164, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Will Smith, Credit line: – / JPI Studios / Avalon
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- Will Smith attends the 2022 Vanity Fair Oscar Party Hosted By Radhika Jones celebrating the 94th annual Academy Awards at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on March 27, 2022 in Beverly Hills, California,Image: 673579181, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Will Smith, Credit line: – / JPI Studios / Avalon
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- Jada Pinkett Smith, Willow Smith, Will Smith, Jaden Smith and Trey Smith attends the 2022 Vanity Fair Oscar Party Hosted By Radhika Jones celebrating the 94th annual Academy Awards at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on March 27, 2022 in Beverly Hills, California,Image: 673579577, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Jada Pinkett Smith, Willow Smith, Will Smith, Jaden Smith and Tr, Credit line: – / JPI Studios / Avalon
Maybe it was a trade off, quit the Academy and keep the Oscar.
Will isn’t losing his Oscar nor was it ever in danger. Others have done a lot worse, like Harvey Weinstein, and he still has his Oscars. I think Will won’t be able to attend Oscar awards and events for a couple of years. I’m not sure what other measures they can take.
I agree. Whoppi goldberg said he wasnt gonna stripped from it because others did so much worst and got to keep theirs and I think she’s on the academy board or something? She probably Know’s Will personally and my guess is he was lucky enough to get a heads up and to avoid his ego being hurt again, cuz he was about to get fired. Gives him a chance to elegantly send out another heartfelt apology.
I don’t think taking the Oscar back is an option, period. I *do* think he may not be asked to present Best Actress next year, as is tradition.
Or he and Chris Rock will present together…
To make jokes in his comedy specials? Yeah it is his job.
Will was in No danger to lose his oscar…..even if he said nothing! the Academy couldn’t go there without being questioned for all the others who have done much much much worse!
The slap was wrong but I understand Will! I am still waiting for Rock’s apology to Jada!
I saw Will! I am and immediately thought Black Eyed Peas. More coffee.
Yes, where is Rocks apology to Jada? And all of the other WOC that he likes to degrade and destroy in his one-bit hack of a career? He is slapped and he is automatically forgiven for his misogynistic antics?
He is playing the victim and plans to play the victim as long as possible. I don’t condone Will for slapping him but CR has made millions off of character assassinations to WOC for decades!!!
@vs Keep waiting. Chris Rock’s brother Tony doubled down and called Jada a ‘b*tch’.
For doing his job? No, women are not children and stop treating them that way.
@Elissa his job is to harass and mock the same woman for over 20 years in his comedy routines??
They wouldn’t take his Oscar. More likely, his PR people told him it would help stop the damage to his rep. Plus, it would be a lot more embarrassing to have the Academy throw him out than to just step away. I’m betting he’s reinstated eventually.
He did the Academy a huge favor because if they stripped his membership, questions are raised about all the truly terrible people who remain members. It’s the same issue they face if they try to strip his Oscar. It will be interesting to see what they do.
Will did himself a huge favour by getting ahead of this and not being lumped into the pile of monsters who have been stripped of their memberships: Cosby, Weinstein, Polanski.
And let’s remember that the Academy didn’t do shit about those monsters. Me Too and Times Up forced their hands. I’m so sick of this racist, sexist, hypocritical dinosaur of an institution continuing to have so much influence in the cultural narrative.
THIS!!!!! 👆👆👆👆
As far as I am concerned, the Academy isn’t worth the paper that is on their letterhead!!! They were already caught in lying about demanding that Will leave which was a flat out LIE!!! They have lost ALL credibility to me!!!
The Academy is still headed by a bunch of old white men who refuse to accept it’s the 21st century and are fighting tooth and nail to keep their power!! The Academy is as antiquated as it gets!!
I actually think the Academy probably didn’t lie about asking him to leave, I think they talked to his agent, his manager or PR team and asked if he could leave and they were like “we will talk to him” and they were like “no way is he leaving, that will make this look so much worse. Don’t even tell him they asked.” Because that’s what agents, managers and PR people do- they absorb all the weirdness. And give people plausible deniability. And I am sure they are in heavy negotiations with the Academy about what comes next.
The biggest difference between Will Smith’s assault and Weinstein’s and Polanski’s et al, is that what Will Smith did was on LIVE TV. There is no question of the assault. Millions of people saw it. Kids saw it. It was an INEXCUSABLE offense. Will Smith should be kicked out of the academy and he should have been kicked off the show. Hitting people for a rude joke is NEVER OK. Btw – Weinstein, Polanski, Cosby, deserved to be kicked out of the Academy.
The biggest difference between that slap and drugging & raping a child was the live broadcast?
@bettyrose I was making a comment on the Academy’s response. There was a physical assault that occurred on LIVE TV in which millions of people saw it. Nobody is questioning whether or not the assault happened. The Academy didn’t need witnesses to come foreword or wait for a trial to see if an assault occurred. That is what I was referring to. Not that slapping someone is worse than rape etc.
I agree with everything Tony Rock said except for the part where he called Jada a bitch. Anyone who slaps my sibling across the face can catch these hands! Run up get done up!!
I think it’s clear he’s very remorseful. I have no ill feelings towards him. He did wrong and he’s thoroughly apologised. Nothing more the man can do. I’m sure he will regret his actions the rest of his life!
He should get help for anger management, at the very least. I’m sorry but you don’t just fly off the handle to the point where you don’t think twice about assaulting and battering someone in front a live, global audience unless you have a serious problem. I know he’s known to be very nice, but something is wrong here and he needs help. I like him and hope he gets it.
The size ego that lets you think you can operate like that is mind blowing.
He will handle his business, don’t you worry about him.
You should really educate yourself on this. Go away and be better.
I think he flipped for a very specific moment of button pushing. People are acting like he flips out all the time. It’s the opposite: people feel they can mock and denigrate him precisely because of how sure they could be that he wouldn’t retaliate. I think CR was counting on that and that along with focussing on Jada again is what combined with my Will deciding to publicly punish him – which was wrong of him, and he acknowledges that.
But this is in the context of three decades of being amenable. One moment doesn’t negate that in my mind the way a lot of people seem to be saying it does. Just seems as if some people had a strong investiture in his nice guy image when he’s just a human being who can snap when pushed too hard.
The Academy flopped in terms of how they handled this. I think Will and Jada would have left if asked, and Denzel could have picked up the Oscar on their behalf and shared Smith’s apology.
I also think another thing people miss when they point to white celebs never doing this is that a lot of them can quietly have someone blacklisted if they have the right connections and are friends with the right people.
That’s why a lot of comedians let the stars in on the scripted jokes beforehand.
He’s been attacking Will’s wife for 25 years. Every time he opened his mouth about Jada it was to say something derogatory, filthy or ignorant.
If it was someone you loved…
This situation has really made me reflective and it’s been a roller coaster ride to say the least. I have arrived at a place where I am more upset with how the Academy failed to do anything than I am with the fact that Will Smith smacked Chris Rock. That was never an okay response but the Academy straight up acted like it didn’t happen, and that was the absolute wrong response.
Also, I have to admit that yes, I can see myself slapping someone for disrespecting me (hell, it’s practically a movie trope for women to slap men who say the wrong things to them) but I can never, ever fathom doing any of the heinous things those other Oscar winners were accused of (Polanski, Wayne, Allen…the usual suspects) and that actually put things into perspective for me. Smith apologizing, showing remorse and taking action is the appropriate response. More people should follow suit.
I agree @ Sasha. Will’s apologies have all been sincere and from the heart. Wills statement show that he is extremely remorseful. I think that no matter what happens, Will has apologized profusely and it’s all sincere.
@ Startup Spouse, what? Will is a grown man and has made his apologies and is extremely remorseful. Please think before you make such ludicrous comments!!
He spoiled his own great moment (and other people’s as well) and he knows it. The whole thing is very sad. Everyone deserved better.
@Sasha, ITA. I know this isn’t a super popular opinion here, but I feel very sorry for Will. It was one of the worst moments of his life — he obviously just snapped— and unfortunately for him, it happened on live television.
Will has been a public figure for decades and has always maintained a good reputation; I’ve never heard rumors about him being angry, difficult to work with, having a short temper, nothing. Yet some people seem so eager to forget about all of that, just throw it away, and focus on this one split-second incident.
Would any of us here want to be judged on the *very worst moment* of our lives? One in which we lost control then immediately regretted it? Even if our response wouldn’t be physical, would we want people to forever judge us on that one moment? And to define us based on that moment and not on how we’ve behaved every other day in our lives?
Obviously, he shouldn’t have hit Chris, but again, Will snapped— Chris Rock has been pulling this shit with him and Jada for literally decades and I can totally understand how he finally got fed up and momentarily lost it. It ruined what was probably the biggest and most important night in his entire career, and that happened to coincide with the night that Chris Rock finally went too fcking far.
Will obviously regrets it. But people seem to enjoy continuing to castigate him day after day, as if he isn’t already living in his own personal hell knowing the damage he did to so many people that night in such a public way.
I’ve never hit anyone nor have I ever been hit, so it’s not as if I’m a person who advocates for that type of behavior being the answer. But I don’t understand how people are defending Chris because he’s a comedian and it was “just a joke.” To publicly make fun of someone’s appearance when it is caused by a medical condition they have no control over? That’s not “joking,” it’s flat-out being an asshole. Because as someone else here said, Chris felt protected and as if he could say whateverTF he wanted since he assumed he’d be safe up there on that stage.
And while I don’t know the entire backstory about Will/Jada/Chris, I do know that Will’s outburst was not a result of one bad “joke.” It happened after he’d been tolerating Chris’s BS for years, and what Chris said that night was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
I find it so gross the way some people are talking about Will as if he’s some big, scary threat to be feared— give me a BREAK. This was one isolated moment of horribly poor judgment from someone with an excellent reputation built over decades, and IMO, he was so angry right at that second, he wasn’t even thinking straight. Because if he had been, I don’t think this incident ever would have happened.
So I’m not sure why some people seem to be gleeful at the fact that this will follow him forever, and hoping it will have a negative effect on his career. And I think lumping Will in with Cosby or Weinstein who had PATTERNS of horrific abuse against so many different people over a period of many years is wildly unfair.
tl;dr the entire thing is just sad and I feel sorry for Will.
I agree. I’m sure be wishes he could take that moment and back. And that he’s angry that he allowed someone to take him outside of himself. Will strikes me as a very even tempered person who was pushed. Rock has been bullying Jada for 25 years. And I read that Will specifically asked him to stop. He snapped.
I see a rehab of some sort in his future
💯.
I admire his career and he worked so hard to get that Oscar. Everything was overshadowed by this lack of judgment moment. I still admire him. Not his action that night.
Rehab for WHAT?? 🙄
Ameerah, I know these people are acting like he is drug addict. I think this person meant seek therapy or maybe they said what they really meant. Either way its telling on them.
This wasn’t his idea. It’s a plea bargain.
Good move for both Will and the Academy. Will’s statement apologizing to the rest of the nominees feels from the heart. The Academy board needs to let it stand and be done with this awful mess. Then get a clear effective security plan and code in place.
Yes, as they clearly fumbled!! They also blatantly lied in regards to how they handled the entire scenario, as they never told Will to leave. Will has relinquished his membership and he has apologized profusely!!
I think that it’s now time for the Academy to clean up their OWN house and leave things were they are.
Netflix also backed away from a film of his that had lost a director before the Oscars but now it looks like it won’t happen at all.
I believe the statement was the projects were tabled for now. We’ll just have to see. His work history and seemingly sincere 2nd apology should keep him working plenty.
I have always believed truly remorseful people (shown through action, not words) should be given second chances. People make mistakes–all of us. I think he can emerge from this a better person and just as bankable as he was before. But measurable steps must be taken: solo therapy (and maybe marital therapy), a donation or two, and some community outreach in struggling schools. He can elevate his profile even more as someone who made a bad decision in the moment and reversed course. Doesn’t have to be religion-related, just civically and, as a role model, show him accepting accountability, taking responsibility, and demonstrating change from this day forward.
I feel bad for all involved and only want healing, reconciliation, and growth. (And his other projects should most definitely be brought back to the front burner in half a year or so, once he’s begun his therapy and community outreach.)
Are u familiar with the Will & Jada Smith Foundation?
I totally understand why and how this happened, because I’ve wanted to slap the crap out of several people more than once. The real problem here is that, in a time when we’re all trying to be more “inclusive”, the optics of an African American jumping on stage and slapping another African American on live TV are horrible for all African Americans in particular, not just for human beings in general. I hate to say this, but one cannot give fuel to the bigots, as much as one wants to, and that makes the whole fiasco a terrible, awful unsightly shame.
Yes, let’s just put the burden on black people to be perfect at all times, lest we give “fuel” to the bigots. And I bet you don’t see how bigoted your statement is do you?
No. Just no to the respectability behavior nonsense. Will Smith embarrassed himself on that stage, not all black people. I’m with Bernice King:
“Anybody who thinks “Black people look bad” after the #Oscars already thought Black people look bad. Respectability doesn’t cure racism. Be Love, but please don’t think that a person who uses one moment to malign a whole group of people did not do so before that moment.”
@Guest. This. This situation is obviously about some personal unknown to us personal dynamics between the parties.
I look forward to the day where every minority is finally no longer seen as the ambassador for their race, religion, culture. I fear we still have a long way to go before that can happen and it is my belief that the only way is for more and more representation so others can see that we are not a monolith.
However with regards to Will S, we cannot both argue that his behavior is not representative of all black men and at the same time say that his actions were understandable / justified because of the pain and mockery faced by all black women over their hair.
+1.
Horrible for all African Americans? No. If all white Americans haven’t been horrified by the actions of Weinstein, Polanski, Affleck, Pitt, Franco et al, Black folk will not be shouldering any shame for what happened between Will & Chris.
Being Jewish I actually really hate the fact that so many of the worst sexual predators are Jewish. Culturally, I grew up accustomed to man-babies who expected nurturing from all women, but not sexual predators. In the larger group of white men, though, it is the demographic that faces the least amount of accountability for their actions. So I do on some level side eye any white man who seems unapologetic about their bad behavior. And to some degree do expect white men to be conscientious of not behaving like entitled pricks.
I don’t think anyone on either side was trying to hold up Smith as a representative of Black America. The bigots weren’t watching the Oscars anyway because liberal / woke Hollywood, and the comments I’ve seen from that set are that it was staged for ratings and attention and to distract from how the country is being destroyed, so on, so forth.
@Emkay I agree with you that there are probably many times when we just wanted to slap someone silly but we don’t. Why? Because we want to live in a society where issues are resolved without physical altercations. Will Smith may have “snapped” but then he should suffer the consequences. He freaking HIT Chris Rock. Removing from him from the Academy is the bare minimum he should suffer.
Yeah no we’re not going to play the respectability politics game in 2022. Being the model minority is a trap and a myth and there is not better example of that than Will himself.
@Ameerah who is talking about model minority? If Robert DeNiro walked up the stage and slapped David Letterman, DeNiro should be kicked out the Academy as well. No matter how remorseful he is. It’s just basic human decency. There are many ways Smith could have handled himself. He could have defended his wife during his speech, he could have obliterated Chris Rock with words when he accepted his award. But he didn’t. He decided to go the school yard route and hit his “enemy.”
So much gaslighting, lies, and tit for tat. So far I’ve heard Will is a scientologist and that slap was a tactic to restore control, it was a punch not a slap it could’ve killed Chris, Chris rock is secretly obsessively in love with Jayda having talked about her three times in the course of 25 years yet Jada never discussed this on red table talk prior… The aftermath of this whole thing has been an insane mess. I just hope it’s really over.
Tony Ortega has very clearly debunked the WIll’s a $cientologist and this was a CO$ thing. Jada was the one very into CO$ and, while she lied about how deep her involvement with CO$ was when she had Leah Remini on her show, the fact she was having any discussion w/Remini makes it clear she is completely out of the cult too.
Sadly, I have seen some white people on Twitter demanding he return his Oscar in response to the news that he resigned from the academy. I think they’re extra salty that he resigned instead of publicly being forced out. by the academy.
They’re salty because they were salivating over the prospect of breaking him and his legacy publicly and putting him in his “place”. This isn’t even about the incident, just the opportunity to destroy a respected Black celebrity couple who are still successful and doing well (and have the “threat” of their children doing well in the same profession – hence generational wealth and success).
I really think a conversation about white jealousy of Black success needs to come up culturally in the near future. The number of times I’ve seen the subtext of “why should they have this?”, or, “they have enough” come up with Black people in a way that nobody considers with non-blacks.
There seems to be more than a little anxiety of Black prosperity and support of each other. Just look at the historic destruction of prosperous Black towns, cities, businesses. That happened for a reason.
Won’t be over until after the April 18 board meeting.
They won’t take his Oscar because there are no organizational by-laws or precedent for this and he won it. Would they have to revote? Who would want the “second place” Oscar. If there are no charges for the assault, this is over. The Academy isn’t a law enforcement institution.
They will, however need to provide some updated protocols on how a situation like this will be handled in the future. They had no Plan B for this, because it is pretty f’d up that it ever happened.
@Moss. this is an organization that awarded Roman Polanski an Oscar decades after he pled guilty to raping a minor & knowing full well not only that he fled the country to avoid punishment for the crime but also made it clear he wouldn’t come back to accept his award to avoid arrest. If they try to revoke Smith’s award while allowing Polanski to have been awarded one after he raped a minor & not revoking Weinstein’s awards after he was convicted of rape (including raping other members of the academy), they are setting one hell of a precedent and would very much appear to be stating that a singular bad act by a Black man is so much worse than truly heinous acts by white men
Re: giving the award to the second place actor- I don’t think anyone would accept getting the Oscar under these circumstances. The situation with him resigning from the Academy is sort of complicated by the fact that he and Jada organized a boycott. It’s going to seem very “well you didn’t care about the Academy anyway” to some although I think there is a counter-argument that they cared enough to vocally try to force it to change.
Yeah I’m going to listen to the folks who were ACTUALLY Scientologists who said they weren’t.
that’s who Tony Ortega’s sources are. Tony knows what he’s talking about where scientology is concerned. the Smiths are not scientologists. scientology tried, but they didn’t get them.
I think this was fair.
I have mixed feelings on this as well, given how many horrible white men haven’t even had to consider resigning from the Academy. On another note, after a week of reading about all of this, I just learned about the Scottish curse – you never say Macbeth inside a theater unless you’re doing the actual play, otherwise disaster will follow. And Chris Rock had just mentioned Denzel playing Macbeth right before Will slapped him! I just think it’s wild that this theater superstition holds up!
@jess so interesting I didn’t know about the connection. The theatre peeps I know all call it “Mackers” to avoid the bad luck.
Interesting to hear your take Noo. The thessies I know always call it “The Scottish Play”, in order to avoid the curse.
This whole Slap incident actually taught me this! Though the way I heard it is you don’t say Macbeth if you are performing in the play in a theater, you just say The Scottish Play to avoid bad luck. Kind of like you avoid saying good luck but break a leg before a performer goes on stage.
I’m not sure how accurate it is that Chris Rock said that since I learned this from Twitter so I’m taking it with a grain of salt. But there is a rumor going around that Chris Rock did say to Denzel Washington he loved him in Macbeth before he went on stage. And then he got slapped.
Hmm, dunno. Macbeth was up for a couple of Oscars, but nothing happened to the presenters who announced those category awards. This is a case for the Scopes Crew, methinks….🙃🙃
Resigning the Academy was a good move. It won’t affect his ability to be nominated in the future or his ability to work. It’s a pretty sweet deal for him.
Will is truly remorseful and embarrassed by his actions. He did the right thing in resigning and stating he accepts any punishment meted out by the Academy. Sadly, that’s still not enough for some people who want him tarnished and punished to their satisfaction. His apology/resignation isn’t enough. Will just did it to “save face/ get ahead of what’s coming.” It’s astonishing the lack of compassion/understanding of some people. I pray they never find themselves in a situation where they do something stupid and out of character.
+1
Ditto!!!
Will Smith will come out of this just fine. Even Chris Rock will benefit from this. The only ones being hurt from this is the Academy. This just shows up that they really don’t do anything but throw lavish parties for overpaid actors. So Will resigned from Ampas. Exactly what was he getting from being a member. The only thing I can see is when you die they put your picture up on the screen.
You can vote. that’s the only benefit. It’s a pretty painless loss.
The problem for Academy, is that the show itself is no longer relevant as a marketing vehicle for film, because the production and distribution of them has changed so much, it doesn’t work. And, without responding to those changes, it’s left itself out of all the most interesting alternative work and diverse audiences. i.e no one cares.
I read that SAG-AFTRA is investigating the incident and their statement was something to the effect…he is an employee of SAG and was at a workplace event, etc. If he were to be removed from SAG that would be huge.
Does anyone know if SAG could do this, is there a protocol for this type of thing?
I was curious about that, what is actually given up? It’s not the union, so union-paid health insurance is not in jeopardy (I know, he’ll never need to worry about health care, but still), it wouldn’t affect his chance to live in the old folks’ home. It’s symbolic only, but it’s the right thing to do. I guess. I really don’t know what to think about this occurrence.
And Jada is presumably still a member herself, so Will can attend future Academy functions as her guest.
I am not sure she is, she is not a nominee nor has she starred in a film which received significant Oscar attention.
The way he has handled this is appropriate. It’s true that the most upsetting thing about his actions is that he took away from his peers’ achievements and celebration that night and I’m glad he has emphasized and apologized for that.
He’ll miss out on some parties and won’t be able to vote. But he can still get nominated. It’s fine and seems like a fitting punishment for what happened.
That’s a true from the heart apology given with his resignation , well done Will. Other celebs take note, that’s what an apology looks like .
Yes!!! Thank you!!!
+1
The Academy has standards of conduct? Really? After all we’ve been reading about, all this time, about abusive behavior by producers, directors, show runners, actors, and on and on? Or they have standards of conduct but no disciplinary process? The movie making biz really seems like a horrible workplace for all concerned.
Saw a comment on Twitter that Will has already lost more for a slap than Trump has for inciting, condoning and supporting an insurrection on the US Capitol.
I read that all of Will’s projects, both in the works and completed, are being stalled now. Just awful.
Stalled not dropped or canceled is a good thing. It’s hard to deny all Will’s successes, his work ethic. I haven’t seen people coming out of the woodwork to accuse him of anything so thinking he’ll be alright career wise.
Of course violence is never the answer and shouldn’t be condoned, but I can’t help feeling that this is all an overreaction that wouldn’t be happening if Will were a white man. These same people have looked away from rape and discrimination for decades but now suddenly are so concerned about making sure there are consequences to naughty actions. But not if Brad Pitt is involved.i agree with you that I would have just let this play out if I were will.
I agree with you.
A lot of projecting and overreactions going on.
Will is getting the blame for all those years where the Academy looked in another direction when they knew abuse were happening backstage.
It’s really something to witness.
I think it is totally the opposite, people are saying the Academy can’t punish Will Smith for slapping someone at their event because they didn’t take action in the past to expel or disqualify abusers who were accused of or admitted to abuse in private venues.
Smith did the smart and strategic thing by resigning first. This leaves open the possibility that down the line he may return, which isn’t impossible because he didn’t do what Weinstein, Spacey, and Polanski did – nothing anywhere near as egregious. And if they do invite him back, it will be up to him whether he accepts. This was a very prudent, far sighted move on his part.
Yep, it also stopped a flow of bad publicity/hot debate.
Agreed. His resignation, and further apology, including specifically to Chris Rock and family, publicly demonstrates he understands the seriousness of what happened and is accepting full responsibility – unlike the Academy, which is doing it’s best to accept as little responsibility as possible for their failures in handling the situation, at best misrepresenting their own actions, and at worst, outright lying about it. Under those circumstances, why wait around to see what the Academy finally comes up with. (It’s interesting to hear they actually have standards of conduct; given their past history, you really have to wonder what those are.) This way, Will Smith is choosing to move forward and address the personal issues behind the incident.
Meanwhile, Chris Rock’s brother is doing him no favors with the things he’s said…
The lamb is sacrificed, hope the world is now back to a peaceful state. Would the call for blood stop? I doubt it.
I live in a glass house, so I do not throw stone. May we all be safe, happy, free from pain and suffering.
Can’t help but feel that a lot of people inside and outside of the Academy (including strangers online) are projecting their judgement and shame for their own dark and flawed sides to this situation, and on to Will.
What about we forgive someone who apologizes and acknowledges they did something awful, and who seems to surely not do anything like that again?
I have deep sympathy for Will. He is not a bad man.
People judge like they never did anything wrong. If anything, this is an opportunity for us to look ourselves in the mirror right now.
And I’m just gonna say, if you never did anything you wish you hadn’t and can’t take back, it’s coming. It’s life. We’re not machines, making mistakes is what this human experience is all about. What matters is what you do with the lesson. Do you learn and grow, or do you shy away and take no responsibility?
I see a man taking this seriously and that have learned a very hard lesson about himself.
I’m sad about this. A heartfelt apology by Will Smith was enough.
I feel like I grew up with Will Smith and felt so bad when I heard he had actually strode onto the stage at the Oscars and slapped Chris Rock. Bad for him because it was just such a miscalculated thing to do – such an ineffective way to respond -that would forever change the way a lot of people see him.
I feel like the reaction is so huge because while a lot of people are willing to understand and sympathize with Will Smith’s action based on the history between the players, they are not going to ever agree with those that advocate that the action was an acceptable way to handle the situation. IMO, defending Will Smith by asserting that what he did was ok is creating way more PR problems for him.
@Christy, ITA with everything you said. I’m just sad for him. At this point, I wish something else “big” would happen just so this doesn’t continue to dominate news cycles. The Cambridges lucked out because the slap took a lot of the scrutiny and criticism off of them and on to Will. Enough. He’s resigned. People should let it go and move on. I feel very sorry for him.
So everyone is telling me, they’ve never wanted to smack Chris rock? I’ve despised him for as long as I can remember. He’s crude, not funny and has the most annoying voice ever. Will on the other hand is a respected actor and reacted because he and his wife were being disrespected. I also want to add the comment rock made wasn’t THAT terrible it garnered a smack. The outburst with the cursing was also unnecessary. However, we should just move on from this already. He’s embarrassed and apologized numerous times. Let it go. Chris rock still should not be saying anything about someone else’s wife. They weren’t at the comedy club, they were at the Oscar’s, where Will was going to obtain awards.
Completely agree. Making fun of a person for how their appearance has been changed due to a medical condition they cannot control? On a stage with millions of people all over the world watching? That’s not a “joke.”
It was an underhanded way of Chris trying to get away with saying something mean and hurtful to Jada and then falling back on the “but it was just a joke!” excuse. No. What he said was horrible and not at all funny.
@ IISAIDWHATIISAID – Wanting to slap someone and actually doing so are 2 very different things. I wanted to smack plenty of comedians and people who I think are offensive. But do we go ahead and slap someone because we WANT to? NO! And why is that? Maybe because we don’t want to live in a society where people are just slapping each other.
Carol, congratulations on being an exemplary human being. Is it fine living in a society where it is okay to constantly verbally assault someone? It’s okay as long as it doesn’t escalate to physically assaulting someone? Will was wrong, he apologized and addressed what he did. Chris Rock doesn’t want to prosecute, but the grudge some seem to continue to have towards Will for this error in judgement makes me wonder what about him really bothers you.
What Will did can be described as reactive abuse. It doesn’t mean he’s an abuser. It means he was the victim of abuse, his fight/flight/or freeze response was triggered, and his reaction was to fight. While Jada was the primary victim of the abuse, as her husband and someone who feels the very primal urge to protect those he loves in that moment he was also subjected to abuse. You can say it was just a joke, but jokes shouldn’t hurt.
“Jokes shouldn’t hurt.”
Exactly. Talented comedians are able to poke fun without being genuinely cruel and hurtful. Chris is not one of them.
Will was heavily favoured to win. A shame he didn’t save his clapback for his speech or any of the post-show interviews the winners and even nominees conduct. If he called Chris out post-show or during his speech he’d get tons of headlines for it and still get to be the King. Problem was he acted like he was the King of the room (playing “King” Richard must have seeped into his subconscious or something), and decided it was totally cool in a room he owned to swat the Court Jester for offending his and her Highness.
This is more than a painless loss. Voting rights is how you see more diverse movies and representation. Will was able to vote at film festivals as well. It was intellectual work that involved networking on global scale and discussing large variety of films. Those votes and discussions feed into Academy Award