Could Will Smith Be First Actor Banned at Oscars?

Will Smith is unlikely to have his Best Actor Oscar taken away from him after slapping Chris Rock during the 94th Academy Awards Sunday night. However, he could be suspended or expelled from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, which hands out the Oscars. The Academy has expelled people before, so Smith would not be the first. 

The Academy's Board of Governors met on Wednesday and "initiated disciplinary proceedings against" Smith for violating the Academy's standards of conduct by slapping Rock at the Dolby Theatre. The board will meet again on April 18 to discuss possible action, including "suspension, expulsion, or other sanctions permitted by the Bylaws and Standards of Conduct." Smith will have a 15-day notice before a vote and the opportunity to respond in writing.

AMPAS was founded in 1927, and there have only been five expulsions in 94 years. No one was ever expelled until February 2004, when Carmine Caridi was accused of copyright infringement. The Godfather Part II actor allegedly leaked screeners of nominated films. In a 2017 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he claimed he gave his screeners to a friend, Russell Sprague. When the FBI arrived, Caridi gave up Sprague's name, and Sprague later pleaded guilty to copyright infringement. After he was released and went back to Illinois, Sprague's wife told the FBI he was still making illegal copies of movies. While awaiting trial, Sprauge died of an apparent heart attack in his jail cell. Caridi died in May 2019 at 85.

Producer Harvey Weinstein was expelled from the Academy during an emergency board meeting in October 2017, shortly after the first exposés of his sexually predatory behavior were published. Weinstein is now serving a 23-year prison sentence after he was convicted of third-degree rape and criminal sexual assault in the first degree in February 2020. Last year, he was extradited to Los Angeles to face more charges.

In May 2018, Bill Cosby became the second actor expelled. Cosby was convicted for the rape of Andrea Constand, but the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned the conviction, and he was released from prison. Dozens of women have accused Cosby of sexual assault, but many of the cases fell outside the statute of limitations. Director Roman Polanski, who was convicted of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor in 1977 and still cannot enter the U.S. without being arrested, was expelled in May 2018.

Cinematographer Adam Kimmel was expelled in March 2021 after Variety reported that Kimmel is a registered sex offender. He is no longer a member of the American Society of Cinematographers either. Kimmel was the cinematographer on Capote, Lars and the Real Girl, and Never Let Me Go.

Although there has been speculation about Smith losing his Best Actor Oscar for King Richard, that seems unlikely. Weinstein and Polanksi were expelled, but the Academy did not take back their Oscars. Weinstein won Best Picture as a producer on Shakespeare in Love (1998), while Polanski won Best Director for The Pianist (2002).

Smith slapped Rock after the comedian joked about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith's shaved head. After getting back to his seat, Smith yelled at Rock twice to "keep my wife's name out of your f—ing mouth!" Smith was not escorted out of the Dolby Theatre and accepted his Best Actor Oscar. In a Monday statement, Smith apologized to Rock. "I was out of line and I was wrong," Smith wrote. "I am embarrassed, and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness."