Will Smith Resigns From The Academy; Here’s What It Means

Actor
Will
Smith
took
to
his
Instagram
account
on
Friday
(April
1,
2022)
and
revealed
that
he
is
resigning
from
the
Academy
of
Motion
Picture
Arts
and
Sciences
following
his
actions
at
the
stage
of
Oscars
2022.
In
a
statement
he
said,
he
will
“fully
accept
any
and
all
consequences
for
my
conduct.
My
actions
at
the
94th
Academy
Awards
presentation
were
shocking,
painful,
and
inexcusable.”

For
the
unversed,
Will
slapped
Chris
Rock
after
the
comedian
make
a
G.I.Jane
joke
at
Will
Smith’s
wife
Jada
Pinkett
Smith’s
expense.
The
actress
who
is
battling
alopecia
had
attended
the
ceremony
with
a
bare
head
similar
to
that
of
G.I
Jane’s
character
from
the
90s.

Will
Smith
in
his
statement
also
said
he
would
accept
any
further
punishment
the
organization
imposed.
It
read,
“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.
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.”

“Change
takes
time
and
I
am
committed
to
doing
the
work
to
ensure
that
I
never
again
allow
violence
to
overtake
reason,” Will
concluded
in
the
statement.

Soon
after,
The
Academy
president
David
Rubin
said
Will’s
resignation
was
accepted.
“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.”

Resigning
from
The
Academy
means
Will
Smith
will
no
longer
enjoy
the
benefits
that
members
are
afforded,
including
access
to
screeners
for
films
in
consideration
and
the
ability
to
vote
for
potential
nominees.
Being
part
of
The
Academy
also
bestows
industry
credibility
on
its
members.
The
invitation-only
membership
is
based
on
a
once-a-year
review.

On
the
other
hand,
his
invitation
to
attend
future
Academy
Awards
and
related
events
remains
to
be
seen
once
the
Academy
board
reaches
a
decision
later
this
month.

Meanwhile,
if
he
had
been
expelled,
Will
would
have
joined
a
small
group
of
men
removed
from
the
academy
including
Harvey
Weinstein,
Roman
Polanski,
Bill
Cosby,
and
the
actor
Carmine
Caridi,
who
was
kicked
out
for
piracy.