Will Smith Resigns From Academy After Committing Assault On Stage During Oscars
Will Smith no doubt knew he was going to be kicked out later this month, so he made the right move and resigned ahead of the Academy’s inevitable decision. Smith’s statement via Deadline:
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.
This means Smith will no longer be a voter at the Oscars, and he obviously won’t be presenting the Best Actress award next year (it’s customary for the previous year’s winner to present at the show).
The Academy is still moving forward with “disciplinary proceedings” against Smith, although it’s not clear what more they can do. They’re not going to take his Oscar away—even Harvey Weinstein and Roman Polanski still have their trophies after being booted from the Academy.
“We have received and accepted Mr. Will Smith’s immediate resignation from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences,” said AMPAS president David Rubin on Friday. “We will continue to move forward with our disciplinary proceedings against Mr. Smith for violations of the Academy’s Standards of Conduct, in advance of our next scheduled board meeting on April 18,” he added.
