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American actor Will Smith has decided to resign from the Academy of Oscars following he slapped comedian Chris Rock in the middle of the awards ceremony. The board of directors of the institution had initiated disciplinary proceedings once morest him.
Under the blow of a disciplinary procedure following the slap in the face to comedian Chris Rock in the middle of the ceremony OscarsWill Smith took the lead and announced, Friday 1is April, his resignation from the organization that awards the prestigious trophies.
“My actions during the ceremony of the 94e Oscars were shocking, painful and inexcusable,” Will Smith wrote in a statement.
“The list of those I have hurt is long and includes Chris, his family, many of my dear friends and loved ones, everyone who was in the audience or at home” watching the broadcast last Sunday, continues the actor , 53 years old.
“I resign as a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and will accept any consequences the Board of Directors deems appropriate,” he said.
It was a joke by Chris Rock regarding the close-cropped hair of Jada Pinkett Smith, wife of Will Smith suffering from a disease causing significant hair loss, which had triggered the scandal on Sunday evening.
Will Smith suddenly took the stage and slapped Chris Rock under the dumbfounded eyes of celebrities and viewers.
A few tens of minutes following the slap, he returned to the Oscars stage to receive the best actor award for his role in “The Williams Method”.
“I betrayed the confidence of the Academy. I deprived other candidates and winners of the chance to celebrate their extraordinary work. I am heartbroken”, he regrets in his text.
Roman Polanski and Harvey Weinstein already expelled from the Academy
In a letter to members of the Academy, the leaders said they were “outraged” by the incident, lamenting that the ceremony “was overshadowed by the unacceptable and harmful behavior of a contestant on stage”.
The board has initiated disciplinary proceedings once morest Will Smith. It must meet on April 18 to decide on his case and decide on possible sanctions, leaving the actor at least 15 days to “be heard by means of a written response”.
Among the sanctions provided for by the organization’s internal regulations was suspension or expulsion from the Academy, which has nearly 10,000 members.
Voices were raised to demand that Will Smith be stripped of his Oscar, but others pointed out that neither Harvey Weinstein, a former Hollywood mogul convicted of rape and sexual assault, nor director Roman Polanski had been forced to return their statuette following having been expelled from the Academy.
Oscar night producer Will Packer paid tribute to Chris Rock’s poise and professionalism, which he said saved the night. “It’s because Chris handled that moment with elegance and composure that we were able to continue the show,” Will Packer said Friday on ABC television.
After being slapped, the comedian had quickly chained, presenting as expected the trophy for best documentary. Chris Rock then preferred to play appeasement, refusing to file a complaint once morest Will Smith that the police were ready to arrest for his gesture.
“It kind of allowed us to continue the show, which we wanted to do,” said the producer.
Chris Rock first spoke out regarding the incident Wednesday night, shortly following he took the stage for a show in Boston.
“I’m still processing what happened. So at some point I’m going to talk regarding this stuff. And it’s going to be serious and funny,” he said.
With AFP
