Will Smith Must 'Voluntarily' Return Oscars 2022 Award After Chris Rock Slap, Says Veteran Academy Member

Will Smith's Oscars 2022 saga continues after a veteran member of the Academy urged the actor to return his award after slapping Chris Rock during the awards ceremony.

In an op-ed he wrote for Variety on Saturday, veteran screen and stage actor Harry Lennix urged Smith to return the award "out of respect" to the Academy.

Believing that Smith has "brutality stripped the entire evening of its prestige," Lennix said the actor was the only person who could redeem the integrity of the Oscars at this time.

"The stain on the Motion Picture Academy cannot be easily remediated. The only hope for a justifiable grace must involve Smith voluntarily returning his award for best actor," Lennix noted.

Lennix, an actor best known for his performance in "The Five Heartbeats," said it was "galling" for him that Smith referred to the influence of a higher power in his acceptance speech after he won for his work in "King Richard" less than an hour after he committed his act of violence against the comedian in Oscars 2022, New York Post reported.

Although Smith quickly accepted the 10-year ban repercussion of the Academy after slapping Rock, the veteran Academy member said Smith should do more by returning his Oscars trophy through "express mail."

Lennix noted that Smith should also publicly state something like: "Out of respect for the 94 years of honor conferred upon this award, I do not in good conscience feel worthy of being its custodian."

The Academy on Will Smith's Oscars 2022 Slap

The Academy has decided to ban the actor from attending the Oscars, whether in-person or virtual, for at least 10 years.

The decision of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Board of Governors was quickly acknowledged by Smith. However, the Academy did not ask Smith to return the Oscars trophy for "King Richard."

"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," the Academy said in a statement.

According to Variety, there have been calls from industry insiders and moviegoers for Smith's Oscar to be taken back, "which the Oscars have no legal authority to claim," adding that convicted criminals Harvey Weinstein and director Roman Polanski still hold their Oscars even after their expulsions.

Smith's ban from attending the Oscars will also prevent him from presenting the next Best Actor award to the next winner, a tradition of the Oscars. However, the actor's ban will not stop him from being nominated for an award.

Will Smith and Chris Rock Slapping Incident at Oscars 2022

Will Smith has slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars ceremony after the comedian made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith being bald. Rock apparently did not know that Jada suffers from hair loss due to alopecia.

A day after the incident, Smith took to Instagram to say sorry to the comedian, claiming that he was wrong and embarrassed by what he did.

Chris Rock's brother, Tony Rock, said he disapproved of Smith's public apology via Instagram, Yahoo! Entertainment reported.

The comedian's brother noted that Rock is still waiting to hear directly from Smith following the incident at Oscars 2022.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Joshua Summers

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