The Academy Is Exploring “Consequences” for Will Smith Incident at Oscars

After the 2022 Oscars' jaw-dropping incident between Will Smith and Chris Rock on the awards show stage, the Academy said they are investigating for possible consequences in a statement obtained by E!

By Steven Vargas Mar 28, 2022 8:54 PMTags
Watch: Will Smith Could Face Consequences From The Academy

The slap heard around the world may not go unpunished.

After Will Smith slapped Chris Rock on the 2022 Oscars stage, the Academy has shared in a statement obtained by E! saying that they will be investigating the incident. 

"The Academy condemns the actions of Mr. Smith at last night's show," the statement read. "We have officially started a formal review around the incident and will explore further action and consequences in accordance with our Bylaws, Standards of Conduct and California law."

Things at the Oscars initially got heated after Chris, 57, made a G.I. Jane joke about Jada Pinkett Smith, who has alopecia. The comment prompted Will, 53, to get up on stage and slap Chris mid-monologue, then shouting twice from his seat, "Keep my wife's name out of your f--king mouth." 

The Academy confirmed it wasn't part of a skit and later shared a statement on Twitter, writing, "The Academy does not condone violence of any form. Tonight we are delighted to celebrate our 94th Academy Awards winners, who deserve this moment of recognition from their peers and movie lovers around the world."

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Later in the night, Will won Best Actor for his role as Richard Williams in King Richard. In his acceptance speech, he addressed the slap, saying, "I want to apologize to the Academy, I want to apologize to all my fellow nominees. This is a beautiful moment and I'm not crying for winning an award, it's not about winning an award for me." He notably did not apologize to Chris.

Myung Chun / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Will, who shares kids Jaden Smith and Willow Smith with Jada and son Trey Smith with ex Sheree Zampino, added, "I know to be able to do what we do you gotta be able to take abuse, you gotta be able to have people talk crazy about you. In this business you gotta have people disrespecting you and you gotta pretend that that's OK...Denzel [Washington] said to me a few minutes ago, 'At your highest moment, be careful, that's when the devil comes for you.'"

In a statement from the Los Angeles Police Department obtained by E! News, law enforcement shared that Chris is not currently pressing charges against Will. 

"Investigative entities are aware of an incident between two individuals during the Academy Awards program," the statement read. "The incident involved one individual slapping another. The individual involved has declined to file a police report. If the involved party desires a police report at a later date, LAPD will be available to complete an investigative report."

Head to E! Online's Oscars page for a full recap of the 2024 Academy Awards.