Will Smith Breaks His Silence On 10-Year Academy Ban, Twitter Reacts!
By MLC on April 8, 2022 at 4:45 PM EDT
Will Smith has been banned from any event held by the Academy (i.e. the Oscars) for 10 years.
The newly-minted Academy Award winner spoke out about the ban soon after the decision was announced.
In a new statement, Smith says, “I accept and respect the Academy’s decision.”
Will Smith Accepts The Academy's 10-Year Ban!
People on Twitter are divided on the Academy’s punishment.
Some feel the decade-long ban is a good fit for the hit, while others feel it’s not long enough and they simply slapped him on the wrist.
Many People Feel The Punishment Is Too Har
One person in favor of the Academy’s decision tweeted, “I’ve got a new respect for the Academy today. Will Smith’s attack on Chris Rock deserved a very serious reprimand for a very serious breach of rules, decorum, civility. This works for me. What do you think? Can we move on? Btw, the day after the Oscars I suggested 5 year suspension.”
Another suggested the Academy punish Chris Rock for the joke.
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“So, what’s the punishment for Chris Rock for making fun of a medical condition???? I mean if someone were to insult a patient about their condition, is that okay,” they wrote.
Someone was quick to reply to this tweet writing, “He didn’t know Jada had a medical condition.”
This is true. The Blast recently reported on Rock not knowing Jada Pinkett Smith has Alopecia, which is an autoimmune disease that causes a person’s hair to fall out.
Some people pointed out the fact that there are past Academy Award winners that received no punishment for their vile actions.
“Interesting that they did that to Will Smith but did nothing of the kind to Roman Polanski or Mel Gibson or Harvey Weinstein,” one pointed out.
Another wrote, “Ansel Elgort is still acting. Armie Hammer is still acting. Travis Scott still performs. JK Rowling still has a platform. And this is what causes action. Of all things.”
“They let so many things slide, but this is where they draw the line,” one critic noted.
Some Feel The Punishment Is A "Slap" On The Wrist
On the other side of the discussion were people who felt the punishment was not sufficient.
“So Will Smith slaps (assaults) Chris Rock and the Board if Governors slaps him on the wrist,” one wrote.
Another echoed this sentiment tweeting, “So Chris Rock got a slap in the face and Will smith got a slap on the wrist, got it.”
This critic said, “Will Smith is responsible for his actions. Not Jada. Not Chris Rock. Not the White man. Just #WillSmith *A grown a** responsible man would've spoken to #ChrisRock afterwards! Will walked his entitled a** up on stage to slap another Black man!”
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The disciplinary hearing was supposed to take place on April 18, it was moved up to Friday, April 8 after the actor resigned from the Academy last week.
Since he resigned his membership from the Academy, suspension and expulsion were off the table, but it was still possible that Will Smith could lose his first-ever Best Actor Oscar.
That has not happened and is still to be determined. It most likely will not be taken back.
On Friday, April 8, the Academy President David Rubin released a statement that read, “The Board [of Governors] 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.”
They also apologized for not handling the situation appropriately during the actual telecast. After the slap, many fans had taken to social media, calling for Smith to be escorted from the room. However, he was allowed to stay and receive his first-ever Best Actor Oscar for “King Richard.”
