Will Smith Has Something To Say About His Oscars Ban

Ever since that thing that happened between Will Smith and Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars (you know what thing we mean), everyone has been wondering the same question. What consequences, if any, will Smith have to face going forward? Well, so far, they've been pretty harsh. 

First, the Academy released a statement condemning Smith's actions, i.e. slapping Rock onstage at the recent Oscars ceremony. Next, Smith resigned from his spot in the Academy, according to Variety, saying, in part, "Change takes time and I am committed to doing the work to ensure that I never again allow violence to overtake reason." But that's not all. On April 8, according to The Hollywood Reporter, the Academy announced it had banned Smith from attending any Oscars or Academy events for the next 10 years, though he would still be allowed to keep his Oscar win for Best Actor for "King Richard." 

So, how is Smith taking his latest slice of humble pie? Here's what he has to say about his temporary Academy Awards exile. 

As it turns out — not much. Seven words, to be exact. According to Page Six, Will Smith's response to his Academy Awards ban read only: "I accept and respect the Academy's decision." In all fairness, the Best Actor winner has done nothing but give statements in the two weeks following the infamous slap, which he followed up by shouting at Chris Rock, "Keep my wife's name out of your f**king mouth!"

In his acceptance speech that night, Smith apologized to the audience for slapping Rock. On the Monday after the award ceremony, Smith apologized to Rock in a statement, per CNN, saying, "I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be." He apologized again in his statement announcing his Academy resignation, via Variety, saying, "I betrayed the trust of the Academy. I deprived other nominees and winners of their opportunity to celebrate and be celebrated for their extraordinary work. I am heartbroken."

At a certain point, there's simply no more apologizing to be done. We have a feeling this might be the last we hear from Smith publicly for a while — though certainly not forever. 

Shortly after the Academy announced Will Smith's 10-year ban, some of his industry peers took to social media to react to the harsh consequence. "BREAKING: Will Smith banned by the Hollywood Academy, 12 days after he slapped Chris Rock. It took the same Academy 40 years to ban Roman Polanski after he was convicted of raping a child," Piers Morgan tweeted. Rapper 50 Cent also shared his two cents on social media, stating, "Got Damn they doing Will dirty, This is too harsh so he cant come back till he 63 years old."

But Smith's peers weren't the only ones to share their thoughts on the hefty ban. One Twitter user wrote, "As harsh as the ban is, I think Will Smith will be fine. I think he'll eventually bounce back. He's a (beloved) famous rich Hollywood celebrity icon after all." However, other social media users have slammed the Academy for its double standard in regards to other controversial actors. "I know Will Smith slapped someone, but I am genuinely shocked at how quickly Hollywood is moving to end his career right now," another user tweeted. "I mean putting his movies on pause? I think that's a bit much when many abusers get away with worse and get to still have their careers."

Will Smith's Oscar ban isn't the only roadblock the "Men In Black" actor has encountered. Since the aforementioned incident, a number of his projects have been put on hold. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Smith's Netflix film, "Fast and Loose," and the Sony-backed project, "Bad Boys 4," have been halted. A source also told the publication that the "Fresh Prince" actor received 40 pages of the "Bad Boys 4" script before the incident took place.

The infamous moment has also affected the actor's producing credits. On April 6, Variety revealed that singer and actor JoJo Siwa left Smith's Paramount Pictures film "Bounce." The project was also removed from the development schedule, according to studio sources. At the 2022 GLAAD Awards, the former "Dancing With the Stars" competitor gave insight into her departure from the film. "The project got put on hold and then went away," she explained. "It wasn't the one." However, Siwa was quick to clarify that The Slap had nothing to do with her exit.