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...
E! presenter Laverne Cox has been joined on the red carpet by one of tonight’s three hosts: comedian Wanda Sykes. Her response to being asked to host? “All right, yeah, sure – I’ll do it!”
As for what to expect from tonight, Sykes is keeping her cards close to her chest. “It’s been a great process, we’ve had a great time during rehearsals,” she told Cox.
And Laverne Cox is now chatting to another of tonight’s three hosts: Scary Movie legend Regina Hall!
Asked by Cox if she is planning on roasting anyone, Hall says: “Tonight is about fun! Anything we say, it won’t be anything that people won’t be able to laugh with.”
Earlier on the red carpet, Jamie Lee Curtis made what will likely be the first of many political statements tonight, holding aloft a blue ribbon decorated with the words “#WithRefugees”
She also paid tribute to the late Betty White during a red carpet interview, which you can read all about here.
We’ve had our first fart anecdote of the night! And it involved Dame Judi Dench, so it’s truly the best kind of fart anecdote. According to her Belfast co-star Jude Hill, she was a dab hand at whoopee cushion pranks on the set of the film, which is up for a total of six awards tonight.
Read all about Dame Judi’s prank efforts here.
A couple of different category running orders are floating around Twitter, each claiming to be verified, but officially tonight’s running order of awards is still under embargo. What we do know, though, is that Best Picture will be the very last award announced tonight, which fixes a strange misfire last year which saw the Best Actor prize close the night. Or, because winner Anthony Hopkins was overseas and very much asleep, an absent climactic speech before the show ended.
Need to know when tonight’s Oscars begin, depending on where you are in the world? Find out everything you need to know here...
Ariana DeBose’s trousers and Timothee Chalamet’s Strictly Come Dancing-esque toplessness are among tonight’s red carpet highlights so far, check out the best dressed here...
Last year’s Best Actor winner Anthony Hopkins hasn’t hit the red carpet yet, potentially because he’s still busy vamping at home...
So while we’re all stuck watching the red carpet, the show is actually starting inside LA’s Dolby Theatre – only we won’t see the next hour of awards in their entirety. Amid massive controversy, eight categories are being announced privately, with the acceptance speeches of their respective winners due to be cut together for a quick montage during the televised ceremony.
The eight categories are: documentary short subject, film editing, makeup and hairstyling, original score, production design, animated short film, live-action short film, and sound.
It’s led to fierce backlash within Hollywood, so expect it not to go unmentioned later on tonight...
True to form, nominee Bradley Cooper has brought his mother along as his date.
Fun fact! Tonight marks Cooper’s ninth ever Oscar nomination – for producing Best Picture nominee Nightmare Alley – and his fourth for producing. He was previously nominated in 2020 for producing Joker, in 2019 for producing A Star Is Born, and in 2015 for producing American Sniper.
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