Will Smith may be facing some consequences for attacking Chris Rock at the Academy Awards on Sunday night. During the ceremony, and as has been very widely reported, Rock made a quip about Jada Pinkett Smith’s hairstyle, joking that he can’t wait to see her in G.I. Jane 2. Smith then walked directly up to Rock on the stage before slapping him, returning to his seat shortly thereafter and shouting for Rock to “leave my wife’s name out of your f**king mouth!”
On the night of the broadcast, the Academy released a statement only briefly touching on the incident, stating that they do not “condone violence in any form.” The lack of action beyond this statement has sparked great criticism from viewers who felt that allowing Smith to attack an award presenter sends the opposite message. Now, a new statement from the Academy clarifies that a “formal review” has been launched into what happened, and this could result in further action being taken against Smith, legal or otherwise. Per Deadline, the statement reads:
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There has been speculation that Smith could be told to give back his Academy Award for Best Actor, but it remains to be seen if that will happen. As far as legal consequences, it has also been reported that police approached Rock shortly after the incident but that the comedian declined to press charges against Smith. It should also be noted that he has up to six months to do so, should he change his mind. If charged with assault, Smith would face up to one year behind bars along with paying a fine of up to $100,000.
Have Will Smith and Chris Rock Made Up? There Are Conflicting Reports
What exactly is happening right now with Will Smith and Chris Rock moving forward isn’t exactly clear. Sean “Diddy” Combs, who appeared as an award presenter after the slapping situation, has claimed that Smith and Rock have already buried the hatchet. Neither Smith nor Rock have publicly verified this claim, but it’s something Diddy says he “can confirm,” insisting that “it’s all love” between the two at this point.
Meanwhile, a separate report from TMZ alleges the opposite to be true. According to the outlet, a close friend of Rock says that the comedian hasn’t spoken with Smith since he was shouted at by the actor. Reportedly, Rock had left the building shortly after leaving the stage, though that had been his plan from the beginning. Rock was said to be left “shaken and bewildered,” though he still attended Guy Oseary’s Oscars After Party. The unnamed source also says that Chris, who “doesn’t have a mean bone in his body,” had no idea about Jada Pinkett Smith’s alopecia, and that the joke was only a reference to her short hairstyle.
In any case, it’s an unfortunate situation all around, and time will tell what the Academy’s formal review into what happened determines.
