Will Smith banned from Oscars for 10 years over Chris Rock slap

The Academy’s statement, seen by the Guardian, said the incident had “overshadowed” the 94th Oscars and described Smith’s behaviour on stage as “unacceptable and harmful”.

The statement continued: “During our telecast, we did not adequately address the situation in the room. For this, we are sorry. This was an opportunity for us to set an example for our guests, viewers and our Academy family around the world, and we fell short — unprepared for the unprecedented.”

The Academy also went on to thank Chris Rock for “maintaining his composure under extraordinary circumstances”.

The actor hit Rock for a joke which mocked his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith’s hair loss. She suffers from alopecia and has spoken publicly about her struggle with the condition.

Shortly, after Smith went on stage to collect his Best Actor award and made a tearful apology.

He has since resigned from the Academy. In his resignation statement, Smith spoke of his “heartbreak” over his actions and acknowledged he had “betrayed the trust of the Academy”.

Following the Academy’s decision on Friday, Smith gave a brief statement to the Hollywood news site, Deadline, saying that he accepts and respects the Academy’s decision.

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