Academy pushes up meeting on punishment for Will Smith over Oscars slap
A meeting to determine whether actor Will Smith will face punishment from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for slapping comedian Chris Rock has been moved up to Friday.
The Academy's Board of Governors initially said that it would meet April 18 to decide if the 53-year-old Smith would face discipline. However, the meeting was pushed up to Friday, April 8, after Smith announced he was voluntarily resigning his membership from the Academy.
Academy President David Rubin sent a letter to board members saying that in light of Smith's resignation, "suspension or expulsion are no longer a possibility and the legally prescribed timetable no longer applies."
"It is in the best interest of all involved for this to be handled in a timely fashion," Rubin wrote.
Smith announced his resignation from the Academy last Friday, saying he was "heartbroken" by his actions attacking Rock on stage at the Dolby Theatre. He said he will "fully accept any and all consequences for my conduct."
Given his resignation, it was unclear what type of additional disciplinary action the Academy might take. Some observers have called on the Academy to rescind Smith's best-actor win for his role in "King Richard," but such a move is unlikely. Roman Polanski and Harvey Weinstein were both previously expelled from the Academy, but neither were forced to surrender Oscars they had won.
The shocking moment came towards the tail end of the March 27 telecast, when Rock -- who was presenting the award for best documentary feature -- made a joke about Smith's wife, actress Jada Pinkett Smith.
Rock, referencing Pinkett Smith's bald head, suggested she would be starring in a sequel to the 1997 movie "G.I. Jane."
"Jada, I love you, 'G.I. Jane 2,' can't wait to see it."
Pinkett Smith has talked in the past about having the hair-loss condition alopecia. And her husband, who initially appeared to laugh at the quip, then lumbered on stage and slapped Rock.
"Will Smith just smacked the s--- out of me," Rock told the crowd, who initially laughed thinking it was a bit.
Smith returned to his seat, then yell at Rock twice, "keep my wife's name out of your f----- mouth."
About 30 minutes later, Smith won the best actor award for his portrayal of Richard Williams, the father of Venus and Serena Williams, in "King Richard." Smith gave an acceptance speech that ran longer than six minutes.