Will Smith Resigns From Academy in Fallout Over Slap

Will Smith Resigns From Academy in Fallout Over Slap

Will Smith, who was facing possible expulsion or suspension from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences after he assaulted Chris Rock during last Sunday’s Oscars, has resigned from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, according to Variety.

In a statement, Smith called his actions “shocking, painful and inexcusable” and said that he will accept any additional consequences that the Academy’s Board of Governors deems appropriate.

“The list of those I have hurt is long and includes Chris, his family, many of my dear friends and loved ones, all those in attendance, and global audiences at home,” Smith said. “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.”

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“I want to put the focus back on those who deserve attention for their achievements and allow the Academy to get back to the incredible work it does to support creativity and artistry in film,” he stated, concluding with “change takes time and I am committed to doing the work to ensure that I never again allow violence to overtake reason.”

Academy president David Rubin said in response to the announcement of Smith’s resignation,  “We have received and accepted Mr. Will Smith’s immediate resignation from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. We will continue to move forward with our disciplinary proceedings against Mr. Smith for violations of the Academy’s Standards of Conduct, in advance of our next scheduled board meeting on April 18.”

 

Poll of Americans

A poll released earlier this week found that the majority of Americans took actor Will Smith's side in slapping comedian Chris Rock at the Oscars Sunday. 

The poll, conducted by Blue Rose Research, found that 52.3% of people blamed Rock for the incident, compared to 47.7% who said Smith was out of line.

The report was published by Mediaite.com on Tuesday.

 

More About Poll 

More than half of those surveyed in the poll said the comedian was in the wrong when he joked about Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head at the Oscars — and do not fault Smith for slapping him on camera.

The poll surveyed 2,162 people online about who was more "in the wrong."

While the majority of Americans younger than 65 blamed Rock, nearly 52% of those 65 or older chided Smith for losing his cool on the comedian.

Politically, the numbers were fairly even between supporters of President Joe Biden versus former President Donald Trump — 50.8% of Trump supporters blamed Rock while 50.1% of Biden backers said Smith was more at fault.

Of course, this is if people thought the slap was in fact "real" -- as Slate reported, "Why It Was So Hard to Believe “the Slap” Wasn’t Staged." 

PHOTO: Max Morse for Tech Crunch/CC 2.0