Oscars 2022: Here's What Will Smith Did Ahead of the Academy's Decision on His Future After Slapping Chris Rock

Will Smith on Friday announced his resignation as a member of the Academy following the Oscars 2022 drama with Chris Rock.

Smith announced his resignation from the Academy through a statement shared by his publicist to CNN.

"I am resigning from membership in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and will accept any further consequences the Board deems appropriate," Smith said.

The actor further noted that his actions during the Oscars 2022 last Sunday were "shocking, painful, and inexcusable."

"The list of those I have hurt is long and includes Chris [Rock], his family, many of my dear friends and loved ones, all those in attendance, and global audiences at home," Smith said.

He then pointed out that he betrayed the trust vested to him by the Academy. He said he deprived other nominees and winners of their moment to celebrate and be celebrated for their extraordinary work when he exerted violence on the stage of the awards show. And for that, he said he was "heartbroken."

Smith noted that his resignation is an attempt to bring back the focus to those who deserve attention for their achievements and allow the Academy to get back to its incredible work in supporting creativity and artistry in film.

The actor then concluded his statement by saying that he was committed to working in ensuring that he would "never again allow violence to overtake reason."

The actor initially apologized to the Academy during his acceptance speech for best actor on Sunday, minutes after he slapped Chris Rock. In that speech, Smith did not apologize to the comedian. He publicly apologized to Rock via social media the following day.

In a statement, David Rubin, president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, said that although they have received and accepted Smith's "immediate resignation," they will continue to move forward with their disciplinary proceedings against Smith for violations of the Academy's Standards of Conduct.

The Academy said disciplinary actions by the organization include suspension or expulsion, along with other sanctions "permitted by the Bylaws and Standards of Conduct."

But Smith has willingly left the organization, and by resigning, he will no longer be able to vote on Oscar-nominated films and performances yearly. However, the actor's work will still be eligible for future Oscars consideration and nominations.

Oscars 2022 Producer Speaks out After Chris Rock and Will Smith Incident

The lead producer of Oscars 2022, Will Packer, revealed that Chris Rock did not want Will Smith to be removed from the audience even though the actor slapped him. Academy leaders reportedly told Smith's publicist that the actor should leave after the slapping incident, but he refused.

In an interview with "Good Morning America" on Friday, Packer said he was told that Smith was about to be physically removed, so he went to Academy leaders on site and told them Rock did not want that to happen.

The producer further noted that the comedian was not mad at that time, and his tone was not aggressive.

"So I was advocating what Rock wanted in that time, which was not to physically remove Will Smith," Packer said.

Will Smith has slapped Chris Rock after the comedian made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith being bald. A source told People that Smith's action last Sunday resulted from Rock's making fun of Jada for years.

The source claimed that Smith used to laugh about it, but it bothered Jada, so he asked the comedian to stop making fun of his wife, "and that's why this night escalated." However, the outlet said a rep for Chris Rock had denied this.

Spanish Director Pedro Almodovar Slams Will Smith Over His Oscars 2022 Speech

Spanish film director Pedro Almodovar also gave his opinion about the Oscars 2022 drama. He slammed Will Smith for giving an acceptance speech "that seemed more like of a cult leader," People reported.

In his speech, Smith urged the public to be careful, saying that the devil comes to people at their highest moment, a line that Denzel Washington shared with the actor minutes before his win.

Almodovar slammed Smith for what he said and his actions. He said protecting one's family should not be done by fists.

"The devil doesn't take advantage of key moments to do his work... The devil, in fact, doesn't exist. This was a fundamentalist speech that we should neither hear nor see," Almodovar noted.

The Spanish film director was reportedly seated at the Dolby Theater, where the Oscars 2022 was held, when Will Smith and Chris Rock had their moment on stage. Pedro Almodovar noted that what he saw and heard at that time "produced a feeling of absolute rejection in me."

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Joshua Summers

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