Why Thomas Haden Church Thinks Will Smith Should Be Banned From Oscars "for the Rest of His Life"

In a new interview, Thomas Haden Church argued that Will Smith gave a “pathetic excuse” for why he slapped Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars.

By Mike Vulpo Mar 29, 2022 5:32 PMTags
Watch: Will Smith APOLOGIZES to Chris Rock for Oscars 2022 Slap

Thomas Haden Church is not impressed with Will Smith.
 
As Hollywood continues to sound off on that wild 2022 Oscars moment, one former Academy Award-nominated actor is calling for Will to be banned from the ceremony. In an interview with Debatable on SiriusXM Volume, Thomas expressed how disappointed he was in the King Richard star.
 
"I think that Will Smith should be banned from the Oscars for the rest of his life," he said on March 28. "I think he should have his Academy membership stripped, but I don't think he should have the Oscar taken from him."
 
Thomas, who was nominated for Best Supporting Actor in 2005 for his performance in Sideways, explained that Will "legitimately" won the award for Best Actor thanks to his portrayal of Richard Williams. And while he supports the actor keeping his trophy, he thinks there needs to be some consequences.
 
"I've been in the Academy for 17 years and what he did, despite how he tried to scramble for an explanation and, quite frankly, I think a pretty pathetic excuse, that he was doing it out of love, out of protection for Jada," he said. "I don't know if it's ever gonna be put to a vote with the Academy…it's obviously a very big and diverse organization."

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2022 Oscars Red Carpet Fashion

During the 2022 Oscars, Will stormed the stage and slapped presenter Chris Rock after he made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith.

Getty Images

Soon after, the actor addressed his behavior when accepting the award for Best Actor. "Art imitates life, I look like the crazy father," he said, referencing his role as Serena and Venus Williams' dad. "Love will make you do crazy things."

"I'm being called on in my life to love people and to protect people," Will continued. "I wanna be a vessel of love."

Ultimately, the Academy condemned Will's actions at the show and have started a formal review about the incident.

And despite being in good spirits during the Vanity Fair Oscars 2022 after-party, Will addressed the incident one more time in a public apology on Instagram.

"My behavior at last night's Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable," he wrote. "I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness."