Will Smith Was Asked But Refused To Leave The Oscars After The Slap

HOLLYWOOD, CA — As the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Board of Governors met to discuss potential consequences for Will Smith's onstage assault of comedian Chris Rock at the Oscars, denunciations mounted Wednesday with criticism directed at everyone from Smith to the Academy and the room full of celebrities who gave him a standing ovation.

The Academy responded by announcing that Smith had been asked to leave the ceremony after the infamous slap, but he refused.

“Things unfolded in a way we could not have anticipated,” the academy said in a statement. “While we would like to clarify that Mr. Smith was asked to leave the ceremony and refused, we also recognize we could have handled the situation differently.”

A representative for the Academy declined to give specifics on how it tried to remove Smith. After Smith struck Rock in response to a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, several stars including Denzel Washington, Bradley Cooper and Tyler Perry spoke with the 53-year-old Smith.

The Academy said Smith has the opportunity to defend himself in a written response before the board meets again on April 18. The film academy earlier condemned Smith's onstage assault of Rock, but it used stronger language Wednesday.

“Mr. Smith’s actions at the 94th Oscars were a deeply shocking, traumatic event to witness in-person and on television," the academy said. “Mr. Rock, we apologize to you for what you experienced on our stage and thank you for your resilience in that moment. We also apologize to our nominees, guests and viewers for what transpired during what should have been a celebratory event.”

Rock, who has remained silent on the "slap heard 'round the world," will likely break his silence Wednesday with the start of his worldwide stand-up comedy tour, which begins in Boston and ends at the scene of the crime, Hollywood's Dolby Theatre.

Among those who denounced Smith's violence, Wednesday was Sabrina Williams, the estranged daughter of Richard Williams who Smith earned his Oscar portraying. She called for him to be stripped of his Academy Award.

“So Will Smith got angry, went overboard and assaulted another person. Then you just can’t apologize two minutes later, you lost your mind. Wow,” she told the U.S. Sun. “I agree he should be stripped of the Oscar.”

Actor Jim Carrey, who got his start as a stand-up comedian, lashed out against his fellow celebrities for applauding Smith moments after the attack.

"I was sickened," Carrey told BS Mornings host Gayle King. "I was sickened by the standing ovation. I felt like Hollywood is just spineless en masse. It really felt like: 'Oh, this is really a clear indication that we're not the cool club anymore.'"

The Academy met to initiate disciplinary proceedings against Smith for violations of the group’s standards of conduct. The Academy said disciplinary action for Smith could include suspension, expulsion or other sanctions.

But it could be weeks before the Academy reaches any conclusions in the formal review it announced Monday in response to the altercation. In a letter sent to Academy members Tuesday and obtained by several trade publications, Academy President David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson reiterated their outrage at Smith's on-stage assault of Rock, but said it will take some time for consequences to be determined.

"To be clear, we condemn Mr. Smith's actions that transpired Sunday night," the letter stated. "As outlined in our bylaws, the Academy's Board of Governors will now make a determination on appropriate action for Mr. Smith. As governed by California law regarding members of nonprofit organizations like the Academy, and set forth in our Standards of Conduct, this must follow an official process that will take a few weeks.

"We will continue to update you on any developments, but we also ask that you respect your board, Academy staff and the process as this unfolds so it can work in the considered way it was intended and mandated. Please trust that the Board of Governors will conduct this process in a manner that is both expedient and respectful of all involved while maintaining the standards of the Academy."

Smith is unlikely to have his best-actor Oscar win for "King Richard" rescinded. The Academy has previously expelled members including Bill Cosby, Roman Polanski and Harvey Weinstein, but none were forced to surrender any previous Oscar wins.

Rock was on the Dolby Theatre stage Sunday night to present the Oscar for best documentary feature, but he made a joke about Smith's wife and her bald head, suggesting she would be starring in a sequel to "G.I. Jane."

Pinkett Smith has talked in the past about having the hair-loss condition alopecia.

Smith, who was seated in the front of the theater, walked onto the stage and smacked Rock across the face, then returned to his seat, screaming at Rock twice, telling him to "keep my wife's name out of your (expletive) mouth."

When he later won the best actor Oscar for "King Richard" for his portrayal of the father of tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams, he tearfully apologized to the Academy and his fellow nominees, but not to Rock.

Smith issued a formal written apology Monday, saying, "Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive."

"My behavior at last night's Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable. Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada's medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally," he said.

"I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness.

"I would also like to apologize to the Academy, the producers of the show, all the attendees and everyone watching around the world. I would like to apologize to the Williams family and my `King Richard' family. I deeply regret that my behavior has stained what has been an otherwise gorgeous journey for all of us.

"I am a work in progress."

On Tuesday, Jada Pinkett Smith wrote on Instagram: "This is a season for healing and I'm here for it."

Though Rock has not made any public comments since the altercation, ticket sales quickly began soaring for his comedy tour.

"We sold more tickets to see Chris Rock overnight than we did in the past month combined," ticket company TickPick tweeted Monday.

Rock's tour, dubbed the "Chris Rock Ego Death World Tour 2022," opens Wednesday in Boston, and concludes with stops at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood — site of the infamous slap — on Nov. 17 and Nov. 18. He will appear at the Fantasy Springs Resort in Riverside County on April 8.

Other comedians including Sunday's Oscars hosts continued to rally around Rock.

Amy Schumer, who co-hosted Sunday's ceremony along with Regina Hall and Wanda Sykes, wrote on her Instagram page late Monday that she was "still triggered and traumatized."

"I love my friend (Rock) and believe he handled it like a pro," she wrote. "Stayed up there and gave an Oscar to his friend (Questlove) and the whole thing was so disturbing. So much pain in (Smith). Anyway, I'm still in shock and stunned and sad. I'm proud of myself and my co-hosts. But yeah. Waiting for this sickening feeling to go away from what we all witnessed."

Sykes, appearing on Ellen DeGeneres' talk show, also said she was "still a little traumatized" by the altercation. She also decried the decision to allow Smith to remain in the Dolby Theatre and accept the Oscar after attacking Rock.

"For them to let him stay in that room and enjoy the rest of the show and accept his award, I was like, how gross is this? This is just the wrong message," she said. "You assault somebody, you get escorted out the building and that's it. For them to let him continue, I thought it was gross. Plus, I wanted to be able to run out after he won and say, `Unfortunately, Will couldn't be here tonight."'

The Associated Press, City News Service, and Patch staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report