Academy launches formal probe against Will Smith for slapping Chris Rock. Could this cost 'King Richard' star his Oscar?

Will Smith’s worst nightmare about his misconduct at the Oscars may be coming true. The actor, who lost his cool, and slapped Chris Rock on Oscars stage after the comedian tried to take a jibe at his wife, is going to be subjected to ‘formal review’ for his actions, according to a statement issued by the Academy of Motion Picture Art and Sciences.

In a statement released to the press, the Academy said that it ‘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," the statement added.

While the moment Will Smith struck Chris Rock may had gone viral immediately, the academy took a whole day to take stock of the situation before issuing the formal statement.

Previously, the Academy had tweeted saying, "the Academy does not condone violence of any form. Tonight we are delighted to celebrate our 94th Academy Awards winners, who deserve this moment of recognition from their peers and movie lovers around the world. "


Yesterday, as Chris Rock took the stage to introduce the Best Documentary feature, he made a joke about Smith’s wife and compared the actor’s wife Jada Pinkett-Smith to 'G.I. Jane' because of her bald head. For those of you who do not know, Pinkett-Smith had previously opened up about a hair loss condition which she suffers from, that causes the baldness.

After hearing Rock’s dig, Will Smith went onto the stage, and slapped the presenter. The ‘Men In Black’ actor then screamed twice at the top of his lungs, "Keep my wife’s name out of your f***ing mouth,” and walked away.


However, the actor soon regretted his action, or after his anger cooled down, he realised the gravity of his misconduct, and apologised profusely to the academy, Chris Rock and all present in the audience when he took the stage to receive his Best Actor Award for his performance in ‘King Richard’.

Smith, with tears rolling down his eyes, said, “ In this business, you gotta be able to have people disrespecting you and you gotta smile and you gotta pretend like that's OK. But Richard Williams, and what I loved, thank you D. Denzel (Washington) said to me a few minutes ago, he said, 'At your highest moment, be careful. That's when the devil comes for you.'"


The actor further added that he wanted to apologize to the Academy and all his fellow nominees. “This is a beautiful moment and I'm not crying for winning an award. It's not about winning an award for me…I'm hoping the Academy invites me back. Thank you,” he concluded.

Will he be invited back at the Oscars or is there a scope that he can lose the award he has won because of his behaviour? The Academy will deliberate on the matter and make a decision soon, we hope.