Actor Will Smith has announced that he will resign from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences amid an investigation after he walked onto the Oscars stage during last Sunday's broadcast and slapped comedian Chris Rock in the face for making a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith's hair.
Smith said in a statement, “The list of those I have hurt is long and includes Chris, his family, many of my dear friends and loved ones, all those in attendance, and global audiences at home.”
The actor went on to say in the statement, “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,” Variety reported.
The slap happened after Rock made a joke about the actor’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, saying her shaved head looked like the buzzcut sported by Demi Moore in “G.I. Jane.” Pinkett Smith has been public about her struggle with hair loss due to alopecia.
Read Smith's full statement obtained by CNN here:
“I have directly responded to the Academy’s disciplinary hearing notice, and I will fully accept any and all consequences for my conduct. My actions at the 94th Academy Awards presentation were shocking, painful, and inexcusable. The list of those I have hurt is long and includes Chris, his family, many of my dear friends and loved ones, all those in attendance, and global audiences at home. 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. So, I am resigning from membership in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and will accept any further consequences the Board deems appropriate. Change takes time and I am committed to doing the work to ensure that I never again allow violence to overtake reason.”
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences released a statement from President David Rubin which said, “We have received and accepted Mr. Will Smith's immediate resignation from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 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.”
