Will Smith refused to leave the Oscars ceremony after his slap, reports the Academy

Europe 1 with AFP 08:02, March 31, 2022

Will Smith refused to leave the Oscars ceremony after slapping comedian Chris Rock, as he had been asked, the Academy of Oscars announced on Wednesday, which began disciplinary proceedings against the actor.

Reacting for the first time publicly, Chris Rock for his part declared at the start of a show in Boston that he was "still digesting what happened".

"While we wish to clarify that Will Smith was asked to leave the ceremony and declined, we also recognize that we could have handled the situation differently," the Academy of Arts and Sciences wrote in a statement. of cinema, which awards the Oscars.

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The Academy has opened a disciplinary procedure

It was a joke from Chris Rock about the shaved head of Jada Pinkett Smith, suffering from alopecia – a disease causing significant hair loss, which she revealed to suffer from a few years ago – 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.

The 53-year-old artist, who won the Academy Award for Best Actor shortly after the incident for his role in

, has since issued a public apology to Chris Rock and the Academy of Oscars.

The Academy's Board of Trustees met on Wednesday and "initiated disciplinary proceedings against Will Smith for violations of Academy policies, which include inappropriate physical contact, abusive conduct or dangerous and compromising the integrity of the Academy," the statement said.

Will Smith has 15 days to "be heard"

The institution queen of American cinema gives the actor a period of at least 15 days to "be heard by means of a written response".

A possible "disciplinary action" against him will be discussed at a meeting scheduled for April 18, she adds.

It could include the suspension or exclusion of Will Smith from the Academy, which has nearly 10,000 members.

Harvey Weinstein, a disgraced Hollywood magnate convicted of rape and sexual assault, was expelled from the Academy in the midst of the #MeToo movement in 2017. A few months later, she also expelled director Roman Polanski and actor Bill Cosby.

Many in Hollywood are calling on the organization to punish the star for his act of violence, which they say unfairly eclipsed the night's other winners.

In a letter to members of the Academy on Wednesday morning, the leaders said they were "outraged" by the incident.

The actor apologized on social media

"The broadcast of the 94th Academy Awards on Sunday was meant to be a celebration of the many people in our community who have done an incredible job over the past year," reads the letter, signed by the Academy's president, David Rubin, and General Manager Dawn Hudson.

“We are shocked and outraged that these moments have been overshadowed by the unacceptable and harmful behavior of a contestant on stage,” they continue.

Will Smith ended up apologizing on Instagram, apologizing to both Chris Rock and the organizers: "What I did was inappropriate and I was wrong. My behavior last night at the Oscars was unacceptable and inexcusable. "

Chris Rock "digesting what happened"

Chris Rock, who did not wish to file a complaint after his assault, had not spoken publicly on the subject until Wednesday evening.

"I don't have much to say about what happened so if you guys came to hear this...I have a whole show I wrote before last weekend," he said. the comedian shortly after arriving on stage for a show in Boston, according to a short sound clip released by Variety magazine.

"I'm still processing what happened. So at some point I'm going to talk about this stuff. And it's going to be serious and funny," added Chris Rock.

Wanda Sykes, one of three presenters who hosted the Oscars gala evening, said the incident literally "sickened" her.

"And I'm still a little traumatized," she said on a talk show hosted by comedian Ellen DeGeneres.

A comedian herself, Wanda Sykes felt that Will Smith should never have been allowed to stay in the room and receive his trophy after such a gesture.

"It sends the wrong message. If you assault someone, they kick you out of the building, period," she said.