Even though Will Smith resigned from the Academy following his now infamous Oscar slap, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will still be seeking disciplinary action against the actor and they have now announced that it will be moving up its meeting by ten days to more quickly address possible punishment for Will Smith, per Variety. Meanwhile, a biopic and a film he was set to produce have been added to his projects that have been halted.
AMPAS president David Rubin wrote a letter to the Board of Governors that rescheduled their April 18 meeting for this Friday, April 8, at 9:00 AM PST. You can check out the full letter below!
Dear Fellow Governors,
I am calling a board meeting for this Friday morning, April 8, at 9:00 am PT, rather than the previously scheduled April 18 meeting, to address possible sanctions for Will Smith in response to his actions during the Oscars broadcast on March 27.
The April 18 date was set in accordance with California law and our Standards of Conduct because our agenda included possible suspension or expulsion of Mr. Smith from membership. We were required to provide Mr. Smith notice 15 days prior to the board meeting at which such action might be taken, and also give him the opportunity to provide the board a written statement no less than five days prior to that meeting.
It should be noted that suspension or expulsion is now off the table since Will Smith resigned. The actor is now only looking at possible sanctions for his behavior or he could be banned from attending the ceremony for a certain period of time. Many people thought that once he resigned, this process would be over but the Academy made it clear that they would still be moving forward with some form of punishment to show that they didn’t condone Smith’s behavior on Oscar night.
What punishment do you think Will Smith will receive from the Academy?