Will Smith has been barred from attending the Oscars and other Academy events for ten years after slapping comedian Chris Rock during the ceremony, according to the BBC.
Find out who else has been barred from attending the event now that The Fresh Prince of Bel-53-year-old Air’s star has been added to the list.
Over its 94-year history, how many people have been kicked out of the ceremony, which is widely regarded as the most prestigious and significant awards in the entertainment industry worldwide?
Will Smith Banned From The Oscars
Will Smith will be barred from attending any Academy events, both in-person and virtual, for a ten-year period. This follows his behavior toward Chris Rock, in which he slapped the comedian in response to a joke about his wife’s shaved head, which is due to the hair-loss condition alopecia. The Academy said in a statement that the 94th Oscars were “overshadowed by the unacceptable and harmful behavior we saw Mr Smith exhibit on stage.” Smith has resigned from the Academy and apologized for his actions.
Who Else Has Been Banned From The Oscars?
According to CTV News, at least five people have been expelled from the academy in its 94-year history. According to Entertainment Weekly, American film actor Carmine Caridi was the first member of the Academy to be expelled. Caridi was barred from the event in 2004 for stealing screeners intended only for members to view and use for award voting purposes and allowing them to be leaked to the internet.
Harvey Weinstein, an American former film producer, was expelled from the Academy in 2017, shortly after a slew of sexual assault allegations against him surfaced. Weinstein’s heinous actions prompted the Academy to create a new code of conduct, which states that “people who abuse their status, power, or influence in a manner that violates standards of decency” will not be tolerated.
More Prohibited People
According to Entertainment Weekly, Bill Cosby was expelled from the Academy in 2018, just a month after he was convicted of drugging and sexually assaulting basketball player Andrea Constand. Under the new code of conduct, Roman Polanski was expelled at the same time as Bill Cosby.
Despite fleeing to France after pleading guilty to unlawful sex with a minor in 1997, he was nominated for multiple Oscars, including Best Director for The Piano in 2003. Polanski’s awards were not revoked, but he was unable to attend the ceremonies because he was wanted by US authorities and thus unable to enter the country without facing legal action. On November 29, 2019, Roman Polanski receives a ‘Zloty Glan’ award before a screening of his recent film ‘An Officer and a Spy’ at the Cinergia Film Festival in Lodz, Poland. (Photo by Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto, used with permission from Getty Images.)
Adam Kimmel, a cinematographer, was expelled from the Academy in 2021 for his history as a sex offender.
When it was revealed that Kimmel had been arrested twice for statutory assaults on minors, he was expelled from the Academy for violating their code of conduct.
