The Academy Confirms It's Not Taking Will Smith's On-Air Altercation Lightly
Despite Will Smith's angry confrontation of Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars ceremony, the night's winner for Best Actor seemed to still enjoy the evening afterward. When presenter Diddy joked that he wanted Smith and Rock to "solve that like family at the Gold Party," Smith was shown laughing and clapping in response. The actor's night also improved dramatically when he bagged the trophy for portraying Serena and Venus Williams' father, Richard Williams, in "King Richard." "This is a beautiful moment and I'm not crying for winning an award," Smith said in an emotional acceptance speech, per BBC.
Smith was later seen boogying the night away in a mosh pit at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party, where he reportedly waved his Oscar statue dancing to his iconic single "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It," per Variety. When asked by the outlet about the earlier incident, Smith simply replied, "It's all about love." Diddy seemed to echo this sentiment, telling Page Six at the same party that Smith and Rock allegedly made nice already. "That's over. I can confirm that. It's all love. They're brothers," Diddy said.
But is it over for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences? The Oscars' governing body is now considering potential consequences for Smith's actions.
Will Smith could lose Academy membership, if not his Oscar
It looks like there might be real consequences for Will Smith after his assault on Oscars 2022 presenter Chris Rock. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said in an official statement on March 28, "The Academy condemns the actions of Mr. Smith at last night's show. 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," according to The Hollywood Reporter.
One of those potential consequences, per The Wall Street Journal, was having Smith's Best Actor Oscar for "King Richard" revoked. Although an industry insider told the New York Post that this seemed unlikely, it was still within the realm of possibility. "It's basically assault. Everyone was just so shocked in the room, it was so uncomfortable," the source shared, adding, "I think Will would not want to give his Oscar back, but who knows what will happen now."
THR suggested a suspension of Smith's Academy membership as far more probable, but given Twitter reactions, that might not satiate the court of public opinion. "The fact that Will Smith wasn't kicked out of the Oscars and arrested for assaulting Chris Rock shows how Hollywood allows, enables, and celebrates the very worst behaviors. Workplace violence isn't tolerated in normal industries," one such user noted. Stay tuned...