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”
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.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...
Off-camera, the first Oscar of the night has been announced!
Winning Best Sound is Dune. We’ll presumably see a snippet of the acceptance speech in the show itself. Then again, maybe we won’t?
For a further bit of background, the Academy are being very cagey with these off-camera awards. Even journalists in the official Oscar press room aren’t able to watch them get announced, meaning only those gathered in the Dolby Theatre itself will watch them in their entirety. Weird, right?
Next up: the award for Best Documentary Short goes to The Queen of Basketball.
Again, these awards aren’t being televised.
A quick Jada Pinkett Smith interlude before we return to regular service...
Wacky bit of trivia courtesy of the characteristically dry Sky coverage of the red carpet in the UK: The Power of the Dog marks actor Jesse Plemons’ sixth appearance in a Best Picture nominee in seven years! For those keeping track, that’s Judas and the Black Messiah, The Irishman, Vice, The Post and Bridge of Spies. Shamefully, not Game Night, but that’s the Oscars for you.
Some more awards that have been handed out behind-the-scenes:
Best Live Action Short goes to The Long Goodbye, Best Score goes to Dune, and Best Editing for Dune.
For those counting, that leaves Dune top of the pile at this very early stage of the night, with three Oscars in total.
Earlier tonight, Rita Moreno sparked hilarity on the red carpet by going gaga over her own appearance. Check that out here...
Another Oscar for Dune, this time for Best Production Design.
That’s four in total for Dune at this stage, following on from Best Sound, Best Editing and Best Score.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments