(CNN) — Will Smith met with members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which awards the Academy Awards, earlier this week and apologized for slapping Chris Rock during the Oscars on Sunday, a source told CNN.
The source added that Smith met with members of the academy “for 30 minutes via Zoom and apologized,” and continued that “the members of the academy told Will Smith that what he did will have consequences.”
A source previously told CNN that the academy “asked Will Smith’s publicist for the actor to leave the party following he slapped Chris Rock, but Smith refused and this was reported to the academy leadership.”
On Wednesday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that it had “initiated disciplinary action” once morest Smith.
The Academy said, in a statement, that “Smith was asked to leave the ceremony following the incident, but he refused,” and described Smith’s actions as a “traumatic incident in violation of standards of conduct.”
The academy statement said disciplinary action may include “suspension of membership, expulsion or other sanctions,” and added, “that in line with the Academy’s standards of conduct, as well as California law, Smith will receive at least 15 days’ notice of the outcome of the vote regarding sanctions once morest him.” and the opportunity to be heard in advance by way of a written response, at the next Board meeting on April 18.”
The Academy continued, “We apologize to Chris Rock for what I experienced and thank you for your resilience in that moment, and also to our nominees, guests and viewers for what happened during what should have been a celebratory event.”
Will Smith had assaulted Rock during the second presentation of the concert because of a joke he told regarding the appearance of the American actor’s wife with a shaved head, which angered Smith, who left his seat to slap him in the face, then returned and began to insult the presenter and demand that he not mention his wife’s name.
Jayda Smith suffers from alopecia areata, which causes her hair to not grow, forcing her to appear shaved.
Will Smith had apologized to the Oscars presenter, Monday, following he slapped him during the ceremony, considering that his behavior was not acceptable or justified.
“Violence in all its forms is toxic and destructive, my behavior at the Academy Awards last night was unacceptable and unjustified,” Smith said in a statement posted on his official Facebook page. emotionally,” he said.
Smith won for the first time in his career an Oscar for Best Actor for the movie “King Richard”, in which he played the character of the father of American tennis players, Serena and Venus Williams.
