Could Will Smith Actually Lose His Oscar?
The 2022 Oscars could have easily been the best night of Will Smith's life — or worst, depending on who you ask.
That's because Will's best actor win was overshadowed by the fact that he got up on stage and slapped Chris Rock across the face after the comedian made a joke at the expense of his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. Rock seemed to have referenced Jada's hair loss by calling her "G.I. Jane," which prompted Will to not only slap Rock but also shout, per Variety, "Leave my wife's name out of your f***ing mouth." To make matters worse, some viewers were absolutely fuming over Will and Rock's interaction, with some even believing that the new Oscar-winner should have been arrested over the confrontation. As of press time, Rock has decided not to press charges against the actor.
While the Academy's response to Smith's assault against Rock has drawn some backlash, a lot of critics can't help but wonder if the actor might lose his Oscar over the altercation.
Will Smith violated the Academy Code of Conduct
There's a possibility that Will Smith could be stripped from his Oscar win because of the Academy's code of conduct, according to the Daily Mail. As many fans know by now, the actor won for his role in the film, "King Richard." Insiders suggest that because only two accountants from PricewaterhouseCoopers knew that Will Smith won the best actor Award before it was even announced, the academy was stuck between a rock and a hard place — so to speak — about what to do.
While the Academy did tweet out a statement that said they do not "condone violence of any form," there's still a chance that Will might lose his award. "It's basically assault. Everyone was just so shocked in the room, it was so uncomfortable," one source told the New York Post. "I think Will would not want to give his Oscar back, but who knows what will happen now."
While Will has yet to apologize to Chris Rock for the slap that was heard and seen around the world, he also has not made any comments about what he plans on doing with his Oscar. If there's anything that we know, what was perhaps the best night of Smith's career has turned out to be one of his most controversial ones, too.