Will Smith news - live: ‘Heartbroken’ actor’s resignation from the Academy accepted by organisation
Best Actor winner resigns from Motion Picture Academy, saying list of those harmed by Oscars slap is “long and includes Chris, his family, many of my dear friends and loved ones”
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Nearly a week after Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars, Hollywood is still abuzz with activity, as celebrities weigh in on the incident, while a “formal review” of the incident began at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Now they’ve got something new to talk about: the King Richard star has resigned from the Academy, which puts on the Oscars.
“The list of those I have hurt is long and includes Chris, his family, many of my dear friends and loved ones, all those in attendance, and global audiences at home,” Smith said in a statement. “I betrayed the trust of the Academy. I deprived other nominees and winners of their opportunity to celebrate and be celebrated for their extraordinary work. I am heartbroken.”
It’s the latest sign of friction between the Hollywood heavyweight and the film group.
Smith was reportedly asked to leave the Oscars after breaking the Academy’s code of conduct, but he refused.
Though Mr Rock has declined to press charges against Mr Smith, on Wednesday, during the sold-out Boston show of his Ego Death tour, Rock finally addressed the altercation and said he was “still processing.”
“I’m still processing what happened, so at some point I’ll talk about that s***,” the comedian also said on stage, adding, “It’ll be serious. It’ll be funny, but right now I’m going to tell some jokes.”
You can follow all the developments about the “slap that was heard around the world” in our live blog below...
Our film critic’s verdict on one of the most dramatic Oscars of all time
Clarisse Loughrey has written her appraisal of the 2022 Oscars...
‘This year’s Oscars ceremony was a tasteless mess’
After one of the most dramatic Oscars ceremonies in recent memory, Clarisse Loughrey asks whether this was the ‘viral moment’ the Academy Awards were after, and questions whether organisers have lost all basic respect for the films they claim to honour
A celebration of Best Picture winner Coda
What with all the slapping going on, it’s easy to forget that there were lots of winners at the ceremony. The biggest winner of the night was Coda. Read about why it deserved its recognition here...
Why feel-good favourite CODA was the right Best Picture Oscar winner
In the chaos of awards season, the internet is starting to grasp wildly for the heroes and villains of this story. And it’d be wrong to dismiss CODA’s Best Picture chances just because it’s a crowd-pleaser, writes Clarisse Loughrey
Could Will Smith lose his Oscar?
Obviously, Will Smith’s slap is what most people are talking about post-Oscars. Which begs the question: could Smith lose his long-awaited Oscar over it?
Back in 2017, the Academy released their code of conduct, in which they explained what it takes to be a member.
You can read their guidelines below...
Could Will Smith lose his Oscar for hitting Chris Rock?
Actor won ‘Best Actor’ award minutes after slapping Rock
Rachel Zegler made it to the Oscars after all – and got her fangirl moment
Among all the drama, it’s nice to know that even celebrities still have fangirl moments.
Rachel Zegler, who last week made her own headlines after not initially being invited to attend with Best Picture nominee West Side Story, presented an award during Sunday night’s show.
The 20-year-old also posed for a selfie with Andrew Garfield and shared a video to Twitter as she embraced Penélope Cruz.
“DID THIS REALLY HAPPEN,” she captioned the post. We promise you, it did!
As viewers from the US wake up on Monday, we’re beginning to see even more reactions to The Slap.
Over on Good Morning America, presenter George Stephanopoulos described the altercation as “something that we’ve never seen before”.
Correspondent TJ Holmes said that the moment was “awful”, adding: “It was ugly, it was embarrassing, it was confusing.”
He continued: “This was awful, unfortunate and out of character behavior from Will Smith who we’ve all spent a whole lot of time with over the years.”
“No excuse for violence,” Stephanopoulos added.
One of Hollywood’s hottest couples made their red carpet debut last night.
Michael B Jordan and model Lori Harvey were seen at Vanity Fair’s Oscars after party together.
The couple have been dating since 2020.
After all that drama, things might be looking OK for Will Smith and Chris Rock.
According to Diddy, who presented another award during the night, the whole saga is “over”.
The rapper said that the pair had patched things up, adding: “That’s not a problem. That’s over... It’s all love. They’re brothers.”
Read more below...
P Diddy claims Will Smith and Chris Rock made amends after Oscars
Actor shocked the audience at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles when he struck Rock during the live ceremony
As if we didn’t all have enough to talk about post-Academy Awards, people have been left seriously baffled by Liam Payne’s accent.
The former One Direction star hails from Wolverhampton, but left fans scratching their heads when he appeared on Good Morning Britain from the Elton John Foundation Oscars afterparty on Monday morning.
Journalist Josh Knapman wrote: “Will Smith smacked Chris Rock so hard, Liam Payne’s accent changed.”
You can read more of the funniest tweets below...
Oscars viewers baffled by Liam Payne’s accent in rambling interview
‘Will Smith smacked Chris Rock so hard, Liam Payne’s accent changed,’ one fan joked
If you want reassuring that celebrities love a good goss as much as the rest of us, then check out this incredible picture from the Vanity Fair after party.
Tweeted by YouTube’s head of fashion and beauty Derek Blasberg, the photo shows a group of celebs huddled around a phone as they hear what’s happened on stage between Will Smith and Chris Rock.
Pictured are Katie McGrath, Jason Bateman, Taika Waititi, JJ Abrams, Ron Howard, Oli Green, Sienna Miller, Sarah Paulson and Amanda Anka, with Waititi gazing at the camera in mock horror while Miller leans forward to get a better look.
It was only a matter of time, but Ricky Gervais appears to have commented on last night’s Will Smith drama.
The comedian and five-time Golden Globes host retweeted a clip from The Office in which David Brent discusses alopecia, the hair loss condition that Jada Pinkett Smith has and Chris Rock seemed to reference on stage.
As the show aired, Gervais also tweeted a fan an example of the kind of opening speech he would have done, had he been hosting the ceremony. You can read the full joke below...
Ricky Gervais appears to comment on Will Smith Oscars drama
Comedian told fans how he would have opened 2022 Oscars, had he been hosting
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