Will Smith banned from attending Oscars for 10 years over 'the slap'

At the 2022 Oscars, Will Smith lost control and struck Chris Rock onstage over an unfortunate joke about Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. Now the 53-year-old actor must face the consequences of his actions.

On April 8, 2022, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' board of governors decided that from that day forward, Will Smith would be banned from attending the Oscars for a period of ten years.

According to PEOPLE, in response to the Academy's decision regarding his punishment for his actions, Will Smith released a statement: "I accept and respect the Academy's decision."

Not only is the actor banned from attending the Oscars but also "...any Academy events or programs, in person or virtually, including but not limited to the Academy Awards," according to the letter sent by Academy President David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson.

The letter by the Academy President and CEO was obtained by PEOPLE magazine, and it also stated: "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 behavior we saw Mr. Smith exhibit on stage."

Despite this incident, Will Smith received the Best Actor Oscar for 'King Richard', so one would think that this incident would remain just an ugly memory. But nothing could be further from the truth.

In his acceptance speech at the Oscars, he didn't apologize directly to Chris Rock, which he did the next day because his management advised him to do so. But unfortunately it was much too late.

After just a few days, Will Smith began to pay the price for both of his missteps: attacking a colleague on a live broadcast and cursing on TV, which is absolutely forbidden.

One of the Oscars 2022 producers, Will Packer (pictured), told 'Good Morning America' that the police came to the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles to arrest Will Smith for assault.

Ultimately, Chris Rock decided not to press charges, which saved Will Smith from immediate consequences for his slap.

Hours later, the film academy decided to initiate disciplinary proceedings against Will Smith, who decided to resign from the Academy before the case was resolved.

A resignation that is more noticeable in the headlines than by the consequences. By resigning Will Smith lost his voting rights but  if not for the ban by the Academy he would have still been invited to future galas.

Chris Rock's controversial jokes: It's not the first time he's made fun of Jada Pinkett Smith

The first real consequences for Will Smith that the public saw was that two of his upcoming projects were put on hold. The movies 'Bad Boys 4' and 'Fast and Loose', per The Hollywood Reporter will not continue with production for the time being.

After the success of the film 'Bad Boys for Life', which grossed more than $420 million before the pandemic, Sony did not hesitate to shut down the fourth movie of the saga.

Will Smith had already received 40 pages of the script for 'Bad Boys 4', which will see him reunite with Martin Lawrence, according to THR.

However, after the incident, Sony decided to pause the project for the time being. Now Mike Lowrey's return is uncertain.

The other project Will Smith lost is 'Fast and Loose'. The Netflix production was already in trouble before the 2022 Oscars.

David Leitch (pictured) was set to direct but dropped out of the project to direct 'Fall Guy' with Ryan Gosling. Netflix, the film's producer, was looking for a director.

As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, the search has been halted for the time being and it remains to be seen if it will eventually resume.

There are two other projects Will Smith is involved with. The first, 'Emancipation', directed by Antoine Fuqua (pictured) and produced by Apple, is currently in post-production.

The only known thing about the second film, 'The Council', is that Peter Landesman (pictured) directed it.

It's hard to believe that just days after the scandal, the fallout for Will Smith reached such proportions. That suggests his future in Hollywood isn't looking too bright. At least for now.

On the other end of the scale is Chris Rock. Aside from the unfortunate joke about Jada Pinkett Smith, his response to the slap was surprisingly calm and professional, as was the fact that he didn't press charges.

The public has martyred the comedian over this story and Chris Rock gets a standing ovation at every public appearance.

In addition, according to the Mirror, his comedy tour, the Ego Death Tour, is sold out months in advance and due to popular demand there are additional dates.

Chris Rock is reportedly negotiating multi-million dollar interviews with Oprah Winfrey and Ellen DeGeneres, according to the Mirror.

The comedian, who peaked in the '90s and 2000s, has seen how that slap gave him a popularity boost that will see him win big. It is safe to say that Chris Rock will reap financial benefits from this incident.

Will Smith's slaps Chris Rock and other highlights from the 2022 Oscars