Tomorrow night, Wednesday 30 March, the Academy’s full board of governors will be meeting, it is expected that the now infamous assault of Chris Rock by Will Smith at the 94th Oscar Ceremony will be the top item on the agenda.
The Hollywood Reporter has stated that the “decision comes just hours after the officers of the Academy’s board of governors — including president David Rub and CEO Dawn Hudson — convened Monday for an emergency phone call about the incident”.
“ Shortly thereafter, the Academy issued a statement declaring: “The Academy condemns the actions of Mr. Smith at last night’s show. We have officially started a formal review around the incident and will explore further action and consequences in accordance with our Bylaws, Standards of Conduct, and California law.”
There is general consensus, confirmed by Whoopi Goldberg, a member of the board of governors, on The View Monday, that Smith will not have to return the Oscar he won for Best Actor on the night in question.
Smith assaulted Chris Rock for making an off-color joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith's medical condition, alopecia. Rock, who was presenting the Oscar for best documentary feature, said that he was excited to watch Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith, in "G.I. Jane 2.", which led Smith to rush up onto the stage and try to hit Rock. Smith then told him to get his wife’s name out of his mouth.
Smith has since issued a formal apology to Rock.
