The Academy of Motion Pictures and Arts and Sciences is ready to move on. Today, CEO Dawn Hudson and President David Rubin convened a meeting of the Board of Governors to discuss the Will Smith attack on Chris Rock at the 94th Academy Awards. Smith, who preemptively resigned as a member last week, was banned from attending any Academy event or programs, including the Oscars, for a period of 10 years.
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In a letter to members, Rubin and Hudson also apologized for not “adequately” addressing the situation in the room. The pair noted, “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.”
As expected, the Academy did not rescind Smith’s Best Actor statue for “King Richard.” Smith, through his publicist, responded to the Academy decision with a succinct, “I accept and respect the Academy’s decision.” It should be noted Smith is still eligible for Oscar recognition and/or nominations during this 10 year period.
Rubin and Hudson also formally expressed “deep gratitude” to Rock for “maintaining his composure under extraordinary circumstances.” They also thanked hosts Amy Schumer, Wanda Sykes, and Regina Hall (although not by name) and the presenters and winners for their “poise and grace.”
Hudson had previously announced her intention to leave the Academy by the end of the year. Rubin is in his first term as President and is up for reelection this summer.
The complete note to Academy members is as follows:
“The 94th Oscars were meant to be a celebration of the many individuals in our community who did incredible work this past year; however, those moments were overshadowed by the unacceptable and harmful behavior we saw Mr. Smith exhibit on stage.
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.
Today, the Board of Governors convened a meeting to discuss how best to respond to Will Smith’s actions at the Oscars, in addition to accepting his resignation. The Board has decided, for a period of 10 years from April 8, 2022, Mr. Smith shall not be permitted to attend any Academy events or programs, in person or virtually, including but not limited to the Academy Awards.
We want to express our deep gratitude to Mr. Rock for maintaining his composure under extraordinary circumstances. We also want to thank our hosts, nominees, presenters and winners for their poise and grace during our telecast.
This action we are taking today in response to Will Smith’s behavior is a step toward a larger goal of protecting the safety of our performers and guests, and restoring trust in the Academy. We also hope this can begin a time of healing and restoration for all involved and impacted.”
With AMPAS making a judgment against Smith, all eyes will now focus on Smith’s Union, SAG-AFTRA, who were initially more angry about the altercation than The Academy about the event.