Oscars response to Will Smith slap “Inadequate”, says academy head

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS)has admitted that its handling of the infamous Will Smith “slapgate” at the 2022 Oscars was “inadequate.”

The organization, which votes on nominees, winners, and hosts of the annual ceremony, said Monday that it will be “fully transparent” in the future.

At the organization’s luncheon hosted for this year’s Oscar nominees, Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences president Janet Yang spoke about last year’s disastrous event.

“I’m sure you all remember we experienced an unprecedented event at the Oscars. What happened onstage was fully unacceptable and the response from our organization was inadequate,”

Ms Yang said at the 2023 Oscars Nominees Luncheon

“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,” she continued.

During last year’s Oscar Awards live broadcast, Smith, 54, walked onto the stage and struck Rock across the face after the funnyman made a joke about the actor’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.

Rock, 58, compared Pinkett Smith — who suffers from alopecia and shaved her head last summer — to Demi Moore’s bald character “G.I. Jane,” prompting the slap from Smith.

Less than an hour after, Smith won the Best Actor Oscar for his role in “King Richard,” and even received a standing ovation from the audience.

After the uproar over his behaviour, Mr Smith resigned from the Academy on April 1, writing in a statement that he “betrayed the trust of the Academy”. He also apologised to Chris Rock on Instagram.

A few days after his resignation, the Academy announced it was revoking Smith’s membership and banning him from attending the Oscars ceremony for 10 years.