Will Smith Resigns from the Academy Following Investigations Regarding ‘The Slap’

Nearly three days following the announcement of an investigation on the infamous slap that occurred at last week’s Academy Awards situation, actor Will Smith has stated he has resigned from the Academy entirely. Smith understood his wrongdoings and fully accepted the consequences made at the ceremony.

Smith says: “My actions at the 94th Academy Awards presentation were shocking, painful, and inexcusable. 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.”

While Smith could still attend future Academy Award ceremonies and continue to be nominated for awards by the Academy, this resignation means that Will Smith is not part of the voting board. Having the ability to be a voting member of the Academy meant that Smith had the power to vote for potential nominees in categories such as Best Picture, Best Actor, and so on.

This followed Smith’s public apology to comedian Chris Rock for publicly (and on live television) assaulting Rock after a distasteful joke at the expense of Smith’s partner, actor Jada Pinkett-Smith. Rock has since returned to his stand-up tour, but has mentioned he was still processing the entire ideal, and wasn’t ready to publicly discuss it.

While there is no truly achievable ‘happy ending’ to this story, it seems that all involved do wish to put this in the past and move on. While many celebrities, comedians and the internet culture continues the discourse, Smith, Rock and the Academy are seemingly ready to move on, especially considering Smith’s decision to resign. There is no indication that the investigation is to continue at this time.