Oscars boss says Academy would now ‘swiftly remove’ someone for repeat of Will Smith’s slap

Academy president Janet Yang said the organization would now respond differently to how they dealt with Will Smith slapping comedian Chris Rock at the Oscars last year.

As final preparations are made for the 95th Academy Awards ceremony on Monday March 13, the American film producer told Good Morning Britain that the Academy would “respond more quickly to remove the person” in the event of a similar incident occurring this year.

She confirmed that the Academy had “a team of people, we have security” available to resolve any issues this year, and backed the decision to ban Smith from the ceremony for the next ten years.

She said: ‘The board of governors made a decision and we’re going to stick to that decision.’

Jimmy Kimmel speaks during the 95th Oscars arrivals carpet launch at Ovation Hollywood on March 8, 2023 in Hollywood, California

Will Smith took the stage and slapped Chris Rock during the 94th Academy Awards on Monday, March 27, 2022.

The annual ceremony was hosted by comedians Amy Schumer, Regina Hall, and Wanda Sykes.

Rock took the stage to present the award for Best Documentary Feature.

Before the performance, he joked around with the audience and made the joke that Smith’s wife Jada looked like ‘GI Jane’ because of her bald head.

He had recently revealed that he suffers from alopecia, hair loss.

Smith at first seemed to laugh at the joke.

The camera then flashed to the moment he turned around and walked up on stage to slap Rock across the face.

Rock then rubbed his cheek and said, “Wow, I just got beat up by Will Smith.”

Back in his seat, Smith yelled, ‘Keep my wife’s name out of your fucking mouth!’

He then won the Best Actor award.

He apologized to the Academy and other nominees, saying, “love makes you do crazy things.”

Rock said he would not press charges.

Soon after, there were calls for Smith to be stripped of the honor.

He kept the award, but was banned from participating in the Oscars and other events hosted by the Academy for the next ten years.

Earlier today, MailOnline reported that Smith was said to be “embarrassed and hurt” by Rock’s decision to base a new Netflix special on the crash.

“Chris Rock: Selective Outrage” saw the comedian discuss the events surrounding the slap and his feelings towards Smith since then.

He said, ‘This son of a bitch beat me up at the fucking Oscars. And people say “did it hurt?” It still hurts. I’ve got Summertime playing in my ear, damn drums.

“But I’m not a victim, you’ll never see me on Oprah or Gayle crying, you’ll never see it, like, ‘I couldn’t believe it and I love Men in Black.’ No, it’s never going to happen.

Sources told Entertainment Tonight that Smith has been deeply affected by the Netflix special and is eager for Rock to “let him go.”

A source told DailyMail.com: “Chris never got a private apology from Will, just a public one that didn’t really mean anything.”

Will has only addressed the situation twice: once on Instagram the day after the Oscars and again in a video apology.

The source insisted that Rock’s decision to repeat the scandal on his Netflix show had nothing to do with seeking revenge, but rather a way for the comedian to “get it all out” and “get it over with.” .

Fitters roll out a champagne-colored carpet to mark the start of Oscars week, where movie stars will walk to get to the Dolby Theater for the 95th Academy Awards.

Academy boss Janet Yang talks to Good Morning Britain about Will Smith’s slap last year

Ahead of this year’s Oscars, there has also been some controversy surrounding English actress Andrea Riseborough’s nomination for Best Actress.

He found himself at the center of a controversial nomination for the movie “To Leslie,” which was promoted by stars including Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Winslet, Mia Farrow, Jennifer Aniston, Charlize Theron, Susan Sarandon and Edward Norton, despite the fact that the movie is not performing well at the box office.

There were calls for her to be stripped of the nomination because some believed the campaign violated Oscar rules.

Janet Yang said: ‘We felt Andrea had earned her nomination fairly. At the same time, right after the Oscars, we’re going to take a very, very close look at campaign regulations and make sure they reflect our changing environment.

‘Which means a lot more social media and how things communicate.

“So, it was a good wake-up call for us.”

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