Will Smith resigns from the Academy after slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars

Will Smith resigned from the Motion Picture Academy on Friday following his Oscars night smack of Chris Rock. He said that he would accept any additional penalty imposed by the organisation.

Smith shared a statement on Friday in which the actor 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’.

He further added, ‘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’.

Smith concluded, ‘Change takes time and I am committed to doing the work to ensure that I never again allow violence to overtake reason’.

According to Academy President David Rubin, Smith’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’.

Smith’s resignation came two days after the academy leadership board decided to start disciplinary procedures against him for violating the code of conduct of the organization. Those processes may have led to suspension or expulsion and it was unclear what further penalties he could face at the time.

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Smith walked onto the stage on Sunday from his front-row Dolby Theatre seat and slapped Rock, who had made a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. He went on to win the best actor prize for his work in ‘King Richard’ a few moments later.

When asked by police, Rock, who was about to present the Oscar for best documentary, declined to pursue charges. He has only made a few public statements on the incident, saying that he is still ‘kind of processing what happened’.