The Oscars Board Launches Formal Review Of Will Smith/Chris Rock Incident

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is formally reviewing the events that occurred on Sunday night, in which Will Smith stepped onto the stage and slapped host Chris Rock, Variety reports.

“The Academy condemns the actions of Mr. Smith at last night’s show,” said a spokesperson in an official statement from the organization. “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.”

This condemnation follows a more general statement released earlier via Twitter, which did not name Smith directly. Based on the above statement, it seems that the Academy may impose some kind of punishment upon Smith, though it’s unclear at this time whether that will involve revoking the Oscar he accepted later that night. Smith took home the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Richard Williams, the father of tennis stars Serena and Venus Williams, in the film King Richard.

The Oscars haven’t been the headliner event that they used to be in recent years, but they became worldwide news in a moment last night when Will Smith ascended the stage and physically assaulted Chris Rock.

The incident began when Rock made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s hair, in which he referenced the Demi Moore film G.I. Jane. Smith then walked onstage and slapped Rock, shouting for him to “leave my wife’s name out of your f***ing mouth,” repeating it a second time after that. Pinkett Smith has spoken publicly about her experience with alopecia areata, a condition that causes the body to attack hair follicles, ultimately causing partial or total hair loss.

Since the event, Chris Rock has declined to press charges according to the Los Angeles Police Department (via CNN).

Image credit: Getty Images/ANGELA WEISS