As “he said/she said” lines appear to be cementing in the aftermath of the 2022 Academy Awards, Will Smith has taken a step to minimize any formal censuring by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. In a statement on Friday afternoon, Smith said he is resigning from the Academy and will “fully accept any and all consequences” for his conduct. The Best Actor winner for “King Richard” also apologized once again to Chris Rock and “the list of those I have hurt is long.”
READ MORE: Academy says Will Smith refused to leave the Oscars
During the 94th Oscars ceremony, Smith walked up on the stage and slapped Chris Rock who was presenting the Oscar for Best Documentary. Rock had made a joke about Jaida Pickett Smith, Smith’s wife, that he had prefaced with “I love ya Jaida.” Over the past few days, The Academy has said Smith was asked to leave through his publicist, Meredith O. Sullivan, and refused. This morning telecast producer Will Packer appeared on Good Morning America and said after the police arrived on the scene not only did Rock decline to press charges but also declined to have him forcibly removed.
Smith’s full statement is as follows:
“I have directly responded to the Academy’s disciplinary hearing notice, and I will fully accept any and all consequences for my conduct. My actions at the 94th Academy Awards presentation were shocking, painful, and inexcusable. The list of those I have hurt is long and includes Chris, his family, many of my dear friends and loved ones, all those in attendance, and global audiences at home. I betrayed the trust of the Academy. I deprived other nominees and winners of their opportunity to celebrate and be celebrated for their extraordinary work. I am heartbroken. I want to put the focus back on those who deserve attention for their achievements and allow the Academy to get back to the incredible work it does to support creativity and artistry in film. So, I am resigning from membership in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and will accept any further consequences the Board deems appropriate.
Change takes time and I am committed to doing the work to ensure that I never again allow violence to overtake reason.”
The Academy’s Board of Governors is also reportedly furious at AMPAS CEO Dawn Hudson and President David Rubin for not informing them they had spoken to Smith on Tuesday before Wednesday’s emergency meeting. Rubin is up for re-election this summer while Hudson was already planning on leaving the organization later this year. There have been calls for both to resign over how this has been handled so far.
The Board of Governors could still reprimand Smith by barring him from appearing at future Oscar ceremonies (you don’t have to be a member to attend) or, in what would be a drastic measure, withdrawing his Best Actor win. The latter appears to be highly unlikely at this point.
Smith is also facing a potential punishment from his union, SAG-AFTRA, who was more upset over the incident at first than The Academy was publicly.
