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...
A brief, safe opening monologue by our three hosts, which built on the niceties teased by Hall on the red carpet earlier. We had references to the “Don’t Say Gay” bill and the excising of those eight categories, but it otherwise lacked a bit of bite, didn’t it?
“I’m Amy Schumer, or as they know me in Hollywood: ‘Melissa McCarthy said no’”
In her solo monologue, Schumer jokes: “We’re celebrating many couples tonight: Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, Penelope [Cruz] and Javier Bardem, Maggie and Jake Gyllenhaal.”
“So many great movies this year... Don’t Look Up. Otherwise known as, Academy members: Don’t look up reviews!”
“Leonardo DiCaprio has done so much for climate change, and wanting to leave a cleaner, greener planet for his girlfriends.”
And the Oscar goes to... Ariana DeBose!
“Even in this weary world that we live in, dreams do come true,” DeBose says in her acceptance speech.
“Thank you Steven Spielberg, you’re stuck with me now!”
“I’m so grateful that your Anita paved the way for tons of Anitas like me,” she says, of actor Rita Moreno, who originated her character of Anita in the original West Side Story. Moreno, too, won Best Supporting Actress in 1962 for the same role.
Wonderful speech from DeBose, who calls herself an “openly queer Afro-Latina who found her strength in art”.
“For anybody who has ever questioned your identity, or found yourself in the grey spaces, I promise you this: there is indeed a place for us.”
“You’re gonna take your mask off, and your clothes, and I’ll need to give you a swab with my tongue,” Regina Hall says, of a handful of emergency PCR tests she needs to administer to Bradley Cooper, Timothee Chalamet, Tyler Perry, Jacob Elordi and Simu Liu.
She then proceeds to frisk Josh Brolin and Jason Momoa.
Give Regina Hall the world, to be honest.
Okay, so there’s a bit of strange editing going on here. While it looks as if Hall just introduced Brolin and Momoa, who then launched into the Best Sound category, that actually happened earlier. Which explains why the winners were rapidly on the stage before Momoa had even announced that Dune had won. Hmm.
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