Actor Will Smith was handed a 10-year ban by the Oscars in a culmination of a dramatic moment during the recent Academy Awards.
The comedian Chris Rock had anchored the event and, at some point, made a joke about Will Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett’s alopecia. He called her G.I. Jane, after a movie character.
Miffed by the reference, Will Smith had stormed the stage and smacked the comedian in the face. He had returned to his seat, where he yelled at the comedian to stop talking shit about his wife.
Chris Rock didn’t see it coming. But when he recovered, he made a joke about it all. The following day, in a post to Instagram, Will Smith had tended an apology and resigned his position as part of the Academy. He’d also noted he’d take whatever the Academy would hand out as punishment for his transgression.
Well, the Academy has handed him a 10-year ban from all of its events, including virtually.
In response to the ban, Will Smith, whose Best Actor award was not taken from him by the Academy, noted that he respects the academy’s decision.
By the way, following the slap, a Nielsen poll indicated that Will Smith’s public rating had dropped from 80 per cent to 50 per cent.
