Will Smith faces losing his Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role after slapping presenter Chris Rock in the face.
On Sunday night, the 53-year-old Men in Black star shocked the nominees and the audience at Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre after hitting the 94th Academy Awards host in the face over his joke about Jada Pinkett’s alopecia.
It has now been confirmed that the slap, for which Smith apologized to the Academy but not directly to Chris Rock, could very well cost the actor his Oscar.
Following the brazen display of violence on the stage of the prestigious event, people have been calling on the Academy to take away Smith’s award and ban him from joining future events.
The Academy has since been pressured not only to condemn Will’s on-air assault but also to come up with sanctions against the legendary actor.
“The Academy does not condone violence of any form. Tonight we are delighted to celebrate our 94th Academy Awards winners, who deserve this moment of recognition from their peers and movie lovers around the world,” the organization wrote after the incident.
As experts revealed, it is possible for the Academy to take away Smith’s Oscar and ban him from future events due to his violation of its Code of Conduct which frowns upon violence of all kinds.
Meanwhile, people have also condemned the Academy for allowing Smith to receive his Oscar just moments after his assault on host Chris Rock.
While Smith would likely be escorted out of the packed theatre by security guards following the attack, producers found themselves in a tough situation because the incident came just moments before the Best Actor award was announced.
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