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| Will Smith won Best Actor for King Richard |
Following a meeting of its Board of Governors, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) has announced that Will Smith will be banned from all of its events, including the Oscars, for a period of ten years.
The ban follows the incident at this year's Oscars in which Smith slapped presenter Chris Rock for making a joke at the expense of his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, related to her alopecia. Rock has a lengthy history of targeting Pinkett Smith.
Smith, who won the Best Actor award on the same night for his performance in King Richard, has already resigned from the Academy and apologised for his "shocking, painful, and inexcusable" behaviour.
"We want to express our deep gratitude to Mr. Rock for maintaining his composure under extraordinary circumstances. We also want to thank our hosts, nominees, presenters and winners for their poise and grace during our telecast," said the Academy in a statement released today.
"This action we are taking today in response to Will Smith's behaviour is a step toward a larger goal of protecting the safety of our performers and guests, and restoring trust in the Academy. We also hope this can begin a time of healing and restoration for all involved and impacted."
The Academy also apologised for failing to address the situation adequately in its immediate aftermath.
