LOS ANGELES : The Hollywood Film School on Friday banned Will Smith from attending the Oscars for 10 years after the Best Actor winner slapped host Chris Rock on stage at the Academy Awards 12 days earlier.
However, it has not been confirmed if he will not be eligible to be nominated for an Oscar during the ban.
The board of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences took action at a meeting held a week after Smith resigned from the group preemptively over his outburst at the live, televised event.
Academy President David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson said in a statement: "The 94th Oscars were meant to be a celebration of the many individuals in our community who did incredible work this past year. However, those moments were overshadowed by the unacceptable and harmful behavior we saw Mr. Smith exhibit on stage.”
"I accept and respect the Academy's decision," Smith said in a statement.
On March 28, just before Will Smith won the Oscar for Best Actor, comedian Chris Rock joked about Smith’s wife, Jada, which hurt Smith's feelings and he took to the stage to slap Chris Rock. This incident caused a stir on the stage. He publicly apologized to Chris Rock the next day on Instagram.
Will Smith was born on September 25, 1968, and is now 54 years old.
