Well-known American actor, Will Smith, decided to resign from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences “Oscar”, once morest the background of being slapped by Chris Rock at the Academy Awards, Sunday.
Smith issued a statement Friday, saying: “I have responded directly to the notice of the Academy’s disciplinary hearing, and will fully accept all consequences of my conduct. My actions at the 94th Academy Awards were shocking, painful and unforgivable.”
“The list of people I’ve hurt is long and includes Chris, his family, many of my dearest friends and loved ones, all present and global audiences back home,” Smith added.
I have betrayed the trust of the Academy. I have denied the nominees and winners the opportunity to celebrate and celebrate their exceptional work. I am heartbroken. I want to refocus on those who deserve attention for their achievements and allow the Academy to return to the wonderful work it is doing to support creativity and art in cinema. Therefore, I am resigning from membership in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and I will accept any other consequences the board deems appropriate.”
The problem arose when Rock, during his presentation to the Oscars on Sunday, addressed the shaved head of Jada Pinkett Smith, Will Smith’s wife, who suffers from alopecia areata, which causes hair loss, and has publicly revealed for years that she suffers from it.
Smith suddenly got up on stage and slapped Rock hard in the face, to the astonishment of the audience in the hall and the spectators who watched the celebration.
“Let my wife’s name out of your fucking mouth,” Smith, 53, shouted to the presenter following returning to sit next to Jada.
“Chris, I would like to publicly apologize to you,” Smith wrote on his Instagram. “What you did was not appropriate and I was wrong.”
“My behavior (…) at the Oscars is unacceptable and unforgivable. Jokes regarding me are part of my job, but a joke regarding Jada’s health problem was something that went too far for me, and I reacted emotionally to it,” Smith added, explicitly rejecting “any violence.” .
Smith’s apology came shortly following the Academy Awards’ organization, the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, announced that it had opened a formal investigation into the incident. In a statement received by AFP, the academy condemned Smith’s actions during the ceremony.
