Will Smith is banned from the Oscars for the next decade

There are no further jokes to be made about the slap. No japes, no barbs, no nonsense. Its potential for comedy had an alarmingly short shelf life — Chris Rock's face was probably still stinging and we were already packing up shop, ready to move on.

Now, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences—the same Academy which hosts the Oscars — has banned Will Smith from attending any of its events for the next ten years.

However, it has not taken any actions to rescind the Academy Award he won that night for Best Actor in the film King Richard, about Serena and Venus Williams' father, Richard Williams—as some had speculated it might.

The 94th Oscars were meant to be a celebration of the many individuals in our community who did incredible work this past year; however, those moments were overshadowed by the unacceptable and harmful behaviour we saw Mr. Smith exhibit on stage.

STATEMENT FROM THE ACADEMY STATEMENT FROM THE ACADEMY

Smith, who resigned from the Academy following the slap, says he respects and accepts the decision. The Academy's statement did not address whether Smith could be nominated for any further Oscars during the 10-year ban.

Smith walked on stage during the Oscars ceremony in Los Angeles on March 27 to slap Rock after the comedian made a comparison between the actor’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, who has a shaved head, and character GI Jane.

Jada has spoken out in the past about her struggles with alopecia, an autoimmune condition that results in hair loss.

Words: Divya Venkataraman Producer: Bianca Mastroianni Slap ya later. Slap ya later. in partnership with Read more on GQ