Academy President Expresses A Major Regret To Oscar Nominees About Will Smith Slap

Janet Yang , the president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences , told this year’s Oscar nominees Monday that the organization’s response to Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars was “inadequate.”

“I’m sure you all remember we experienced an unprecedented event at the Oscars,” Yang said at the annual luncheon to celebrate those vying for a statuette, per Variety . “What happened onstage was fully unacceptable and the response from our organization was inadequate. We learned from this that the Academy must be fully transparent and accountable in our actions, and particularly in times of crisis you must act swiftly, compassionately and decisively for ourselves and for our industry. You should and can expect no less from us going forward.”

In a moment that will be forever etched in pop culture infamy, Smith slapped Rock across the face for joking about Jada Pinkett Smith’s hair loss. Smith also profanely warned Rock not to mention his wife’s name again. He was allowed to stay in the auditorium, and later won the best actor Oscar for “King Richard.”

More than a week later, the academy banned Smith from the Oscars ceremony for 10 years.

Yang’s sentiments to a luncheon full of luminaries, including Tom Cruise of “Top Gun: Maverick,” partially echoed an academy statement issued with the ban that called Smith’s actions “unacceptable and harmful ” and said the academy did “not adequately address the situation.”

“We fell short unprepared for the unprecedented,” the organization’s leadership said in April. 

Yang was elected  president of the academy in August.

Smith has apologized for the incident. Some thought  he could earn a nomination for the film “Emancipation” but the movie was shut out entirely . 

The Oscars air live on March 12.