As the fallout from last night’s Academy Awards ceremony continued, a hanging question of whether Will Smith could be asked to hand back his Best Actor award has been left currently unanswered. Following the altercation during the ceremony, in which Smith responded to a jibe by host Chris Rock about his wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith, by walking on stage and smacking him across the face, insiders have suggested that this was a breach of the very strict conduct guidelines the Oscars are governed by and could lead to Smith being asked to give up his award.
The New York Post reported that one insider commented: “It’s basically assault. Everyone was just so shocked in the room, it was so uncomfortable. I think Will would not want to give his Oscar back, but who knows what will happen now.”
While the incident passed after an awkward silence in the room, and Smith later made an apology to the Academy and his fellow nominees for his actions, the actor did not apologize directly to host Chris Rock, and then appeared backstage celebrating his win in photos with his family. Meanwhile, social media blew up with opinions on the incident from celebrities, industry experts, and the Academy themselves, who issued their own short statement announcing that they did not condone violence of any kind.
The Academy Has Yet to Comment on Whether Will Smith’s Actions Broke Its Code of Conduct
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The Academy released its code of conduct in 2017, announcing a set of expectations of its members and those associated with it aimed at “upholding the Academy’s values.” In a report by Variety at the time, AMPAS CEO Dawn Hudson issued a statement to Academy members saying:
“Academy membership is a privilege offered to only a select few within the global community of filmmakers. In addition to achieving excellence in the field of motion picture arts and sciences, members must also behave ethically by upholding the Academy’s values of respect for human dignity, inclusion, and a supportive environment that fosters creativity. There is no place in the Academy for people who abuse their status, power or influence in a manner that violates recognized standards of decency. The Academy is categorically opposed to any form of abuse, harassment or discrimination on the basis of gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, disability, age, religion, or nationality. The Board of Governors believes that these standards are essential to the Academy’s mission and reflective of our values.”
Whether the actions of Smith during last night’s ceremony are enough to warrant a reaction from Academy to reprimand the actor is yet to be seen, but when it comes to any criminal charges, it looks like nothing will be progressing further after the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed that they were aware of the incident, but no report has been filed with them by Rock in the wake of the incident. As the dust settles, we can only wait and see if anything more does come from the biggest talking point of the 94th Academy Awards, which after being riddled with controversy, didn’t disappoint on the night.