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...
Writer Joyce Carol Oates has weighed in on the Will Smith drama at length in a series of tweets.
The Black Water novelist wrote: “Will Smith behaving impulsively when his wife was insulted is very Hollywood-movie of a bygone era when such incidents would be cheered as valiant & chivalrous.
“Inappropriate behaviour but met with surpassing aplomb & generosity by Chris Rock. Impressive professionalism & a concern for the Oscars to be yet awarded. in a way, a model of behaviour in confrontation with sudden, unscripted violence. Chris Rock’s magnanimity will prevail.”
“Ricky Gervais must be shaking his head in wonderment of how he’d escaped a whipping or two in the past,” she joked.
Whoopi Goldberg has weighed in on Smith’s altercation on the US talk show The View, shutting down speculation that the actor could have his Best Actor win revoked.
Goldberg, who is a serving Governer for the Academy’s Actors branch, said: “I think it was a lot of stuff probably built up.
“I think he overreacted… I think he had one of those moments where it was like [God damn] it, just stop. I get it, not everybody acts the way we would like them to act under pressure. And he snapped.”
After her The View co-host Sunny Hostin wondered aloud whether Smith’s trophy could be taken away, the Sister Act star said: “We’re not going to take that Oscar from him.”
Read the full story below...
Whoopi Goldberg reacts to Will Smith slap: ‘We’re not going to take his Oscar’
Goldberg currently serves as a governor for the Actors Branch of the Academy
Piers Morgan has given his two cents on the whole Smith incident (surprise, surprise), and detailed an encounter he allegedly had with the actor while interviewing Jada Pinkett Smith back in 2011.
“My first encounter with him was unnerving,” wrote the former Good Morning Britain host.
“Before we started, he warned me: ‘Don’t upset my wife, Mr Morgan, you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry,’” Morgan claimed.
The comments came as part of a column in which he came to the defence of Smith, describing in detail his interaction with the actor and praising Smith’s relationship with his wife.
Read the full story below...
Piers Morgan claims Will Smith told him ‘don’t upset my wife’ in ‘unnerving’ meeting
‘You wouldn’t like me when I’m angry,’ Smith allegedly told Morgan back in 2011
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced it is opening an investigation into Will Smith’s conduct during last night’s ceremony.
In a fresh statement issued by the awards body, it “condemned” Smith’s actions, and said an investigation was being launched into prospective sanctions.
“The Academy condemns the actions of Mr Smith at last night’s show,” said the organisation.
“We have officially started a formal review around the incident and will explore further action and consequences in accordance with our Bylaws, Standards of Conduct and California law.”
What form the “consequences” shall take remain to be seen.
Read the full story here...
Emergency meeting called as Oscars look into Will Smith ‘consequences’
An investigation into Will Smith’s Chris Rock hitting incident is now open
With all the talk on Will Smith’s headline-grabbing altercation, the actual winners from last night’s Oscars have rather been swept under the rug.
But the Oscars ceremony saw a number of historic wins in several categories, including Ariana DeBose, who became the first openly queer woman of colour to win an award for acting, after picking up Best Supporting Actress for her role in West Side Story.
Troy Kotsur also became the first deaf male actor to win an Oscar, after he was recognised for his supporting turn in the eventual Best Picture winner Coda.
You can click here for a list of all the winners from the ceremony.
Or you can read below for a rundown of the night’s biggest talking points...
The 6 biggest talking points from this year’s dramatic Oscars ceremony
A night in which unscripted controversy overshadowed all the wins and awards
It may have hurt at the time, but Smith’s slap may have inadvertently signalled some good news for presenter Chris Rock.
Ticket sales for Rock’s forthcoming stand-up tour have reportedly skyrocketed, with ticket selling site TickPick announcing on Twitter exactly how in-demand his new show is.
“We sold more tickets to see Chris Rock overnight than we did in the past month combined,” revealed the company.
British fans of the comedian may be happy to learn that Rock is set to perform a number of UK dates in May as part of the tour.
While the Best Actor win itself was understandably overshadowed by other events, many Oscar viewers may be curious about the film that gave Smith his win, King Richard.
The film is available to stream on Virgin TV Go in the UK, and on HBO Max in the US.
In it, Smith plays Richard Williams, the father of aspiring tennis champions Venus and Serena Williams – both of whom were in attendance at the Oscars yesterday.
Read Clarisse Loughrey’s four-star review of the film below...
Will Smith is a true movie star in King Richard – review
Though some truths have been manipulated, the story of the Williams sisters and their ambitious father still finds his own compelling sources of tension
‘Embarrassed’ Will Smith apologises to Chris Rock over Oscars slap: ‘I was out of line and I was wrong’
Will Smith has apologised for slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars on Sunday after the comedian made a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.
“I was out of line and I was wrong,” read a statement on Monday from the actor addressed to Rock, the Motion Picture Academy, and others including his fellow cast and crew on King Richard.
Josh Marcus has the story:
Will Smith apologises to Chris Rock for Oscars slap: ‘I was out of line’
Smith won best actor at Oscars on Sunday
Richard Williams responds to Will Smith’s Oscars slap: ‘We don’t condone hitting anyone’
The real-life tennis coach portrayed by Will Smith in his latest Oscar-winning performance has distanced himself from the film star’s on-stage skirmish with Chris Rock at the awards ceremony.
Richard Williams, the father and coach of tennis titans Venus and Serena Williams, was the subject of last year’s biopic King Richard, for which Smith won the Oscar award for best male actor.
In his acceptance speech after slapping Rock, Smith compared himself to Mr Williams’ famous on-air defence of his daughter Venus during a TV interview in 1995.
“Art imitates life. I look like the crazy father – just like they said about Richard Williams,” said Smith. “But love will make you do crazy things.”
On Monday, however, in a statement NBC News via his son and spokesperson Chavoita LeSane, Mr Williams said: “We don’t know all the details of what happened. But we don’t condone anyone hitting anyone else unless it’s in self-defense.”
Io Dodds has the full story here:
Richard Williams on Will Smith’s Oscars slap: ‘We don’t condone hitting anyone’
The father of Venus and Serena Williams, who is played by Will Smith in his latest film, was asked about the actor’s on-stage skirmish
It was the unbelievable Oscar twist that no-one saw coming... unless you’re Twitter user @_ja_s_on_ that is.
A tweet originally shared in 2016 went viral in the wake of last night’s events, for seemingly “predicting” the incident with Chris Rock.
The twitter user re-shared the tweet, which made speculative reference to Smith hitting Rock in the face, in the wake of last night’s events, alongside the caption: “Well…”
His reaction has since gone viral on the social media site, being “liked” over half a million times.
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