On April 8, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences announced that actor Will Smith will not be allowed to attend the Academy Awards for the next 10 years, as a result of his slapping comedian Chris Rock on stage during this year's Oscar ceremony.
"The Board has decided, for a period of 10 years from April 8, 2022, Mr. Smith shall not be permitted to attend any Academy events or programs, in person or virtually, including but not limited to the Academy Awards," Academy President David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson said in a statement, per CNN.
The decision was made during a Board of Governors meeting held earlier in the day in Los Angeles. The meeting, initially scheduled for April 18, was moved up after Smith announced his resignation from the Academy last week.
"I accept and respect the Academy's decision," the actor said in a statement to CNN.
The actor struck Rock as the comedian was on stage presenting at the Academy Awards on March 27 after Rock had made a joke about Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith's close-cropped hair. Pinkett Smith suffers from hair loss due to alopecia.
Smith won the Oscar later that evening for his lead role in the movie King Richard, a film about Richard Williams, the father of tennis superstars Venus and Serena Williams.
