Will Smith was asked to leave the Oscars after he slapped Chris Rock, the Academy has revealed.
The King Richard actor shocked the world when he stormed on stage and hit the comedian, after he made a joke about wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s hair.
Moments later, he returned to the stage to collect the best actor gong for his role as Richard Williams, apologizing to the Academy and his fellow nominees in a tear-filled speech.
Organizers have launched an investigation into what happened, and have now claimed that he was asked to leave the ceremony on Sunday after his actions, but ‘refused’.
‘Things unfolded in a way we could not have anticipated,’ the Academy said in the message, via Sky News.
‘While we would like to clarify that Mr Smith was asked to leave the ceremony and refused, we also recognise we could have handled the situation differently.’
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Organizers have also announced that they had ‘initiated disciplinary proceedings against Mr Smith for violations of the Academy’s Standards of Conduct’.
This is said to include inappropriate physical contact, abusive or threatening behaviour, and compromising the integrity of the Academy.
Will is able to defend himself in written form before the board meets on April 18, with possible actions against him including suspension or expulsion.
Chris was on hand to present the award for best documentary feature in front of the star-studded audience, when he made jokes about those in the crowd.
Directing his attention to Jada, he said: ‘Jada, can’t wait for GI Jane 2,’ referring to her buzzcut hairstyle.
The Scream 2 actress appeared unimpressed with the comment as she suffers from alopecia.
Will then confronted the Everybody Hates Chris actor over the comment in front of the shocked audience, before telling him: ‘Keep my wife’s name out of your f**king mouth.’
Questions have been raised over why exactly he was able to stay in the audience following his actions, with host Wanda Sykes branding the decision ‘gross’.
Whoopi Goldberg previously shed light on why he didn’t get forced out, during a segment on Tuesday’s episode of the View.
The Ghost actress, who is a governor for the Academy Awards, told her fellow panellists: ‘That would have been another 15-20 minute explanation of why we’re taking the Black man out, five seconds before they’re about to decide whether he’s won an Oscar or not.
‘I believe [producer] Will Packer made the right decision. He said, “Let’s get to the rest of this so we can deal with it wholeheartedly.”
‘This is not the first time craziness has happened onstage, but this is the first time we’ve seen anybody assault anybody onstage.’
She also insisted that there would be ‘big consequences’ over Will’s behavior, as ‘nobody is okay’ with the scenes.
‘Let me say this, there are consequences. There are big consequences because nobody is okay with what happened. Nobody, nobody, nobody,’ she said.
‘What’s happening is people are now starting to calm down and say, “Wait a minute, what could have triggered this?”’
This is a breaking news story, more to follow soon… Check back shortly for further updates.
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