Jada Pinkett Smith has finally broken her silence after her husband Will Smith slapped Chris Rock on stage at the Oscars over a alopecia joke the comedian made about her shaved head.
‘This is a season for healing and I’m here for it,’ the actress posted to Instagram Tuesday, two days after the incident that stunned Hollywood A-listers at the Vanity Fair after party and millions of viewers.
Pinkett Smith, 50, posted the words on a pink background, but did not share a caption. She has remained quiet since the dramatic events unfolded Sunday night.
Her post, which appears to address the incident, comes less than a day after her husband issued an apology for slapping Rock.
‘Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive,’ he wrote.
‘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.
‘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.’
Smith then went on to say sorry to the organizers and the producers of the show.
Rock has not responded to Smith’s apology, or commented on the Sunday night incident.
The Academy condemned Smith’s actions and launched a formal review of the incident. A full board meeting to discuss the incident will be held Wednesday.
Pinkett Smith has broken her silence after the incident between her husband and Chris Rock after Rock made a joke about her shaved head. She has been open about her struggle with alopecia on social media
‘This is a season for healing and I’m here for it,’ the actress posted to Instagram Tuesday, two days after the incident that stunned millions of viewers
Jada Pinkett Smith confidently discussed her battle with alopecia less than a week before the Academy Awards, saying how she loved her bald head and didn’t ‘give two cr**s what people think’ of it
Will Smith’s punishment will likely be decided at Wednesday’s meeting held by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Board of Governors – where his onstage assault of Chris Rock at Sunday’s Oscars is expected to be the main topic.
Disciplinary action could include anything from forcing him to hand back his Oscar to the most severe punishment – suspension from the Academy – which would put Smith among the ranks of Harvey Weinstein and Bill Cosby, who were both expelled for sexual misconduct.
A post-Oscars board meeting is always held to discuss the ceremony and address any concerns, but does not usually happen this soon, the Hollywood Reporter learned.
The decision to hold the meeting was made after the Academy met for an emergency call Monday night about the incident and released a statement announcing a launch of a formal review.
‘The Academy condemns the actions of Mr. Smith at last night’s show. We have officially started a formal review around the incident and will explore further action and consequences in accordance with our Bylaws, Standards of Conduct and California law.’
It appears that Smith, 53, may face some type of disciplinary action or sanction, though it’s unlikely he will be made to forfeit his prize, Variety reported.
While many are calling for Smith’s Oscar to be rescinded, guidelines in the Academy’s Code of Conduct – rewritten in 2017 during the height of the Me Too Movement – outline even more severe consequences.
A more severe punishment would be expulsion from the Academy, putting the ‘King Richard’ actor in a small group of people who have been expelled, including Harvey Weinstein, Bill Cosby, and Roman Polanski.
Weinstein was expelled ‘for ‘sexually predatory behavior and workplace harassment’ and Cosby and Polanski were expelled ‘in accordance with the organization’s Standards of Conduct’ after they had been convicted of sexual assault.
Weinstein and Polanski’s Oscars were never rescinded.
Will Smith slapped Chris Rock on stage at the Oscars on Sunday, after the comedian made a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith. On Monday, Smith apologized
On Monday’s airing of ‘The View,’ host Whoopi Goldberg, who is also a member of the board of governors, defended the actor and said, ‘We’re not going to take that Oscar from him. There will be consequences, I’m sure, but I don’t think that’s what they’ll do.’
Goldberg doubled down on her promise to punish Smith during Tuesday’s show, saying, “There are consequences. There are big consequences because nobody is OK with what happened.”
“Nobody, nobody, nobody,” she added.
But many Hollywood celebrities denounced Smith’s actions and called for his Oscar to be taken back.
Marshall Herskovitz, president emeritus of the Producers Guild of America, was among the first to condemn Smith, tweeting shortly after the attack that Smith had ‘disgraced our entire community’.
He said: ‘I call upon the Academy, of which I am a member, to take disciplinary action against Will Smith. He disgraced our entire community tonight.’
Herskovitz accused those who defended the actor of ‘moral cowardice’.
In one of the most shocking moments in the history of the vaunted awards show, Smith strode on stage Sunday and slapped Rock in the face after the comedian made a joke about the appearance of Smith’s wife.
Smith’s meltdown continued when he returned to his seat as he repeatedly screamed: ‘Keep my wife’s name out of your f***ing mouth’.
The crowd then fell into stunned silence – and any questions over whether the altercation was genuine were answered when just over half an hour later Smith was given the Best Actor award and apologized for the assault.
Smith and Pinkett-Smith held hands throughout the ceremony after the shock slap. Denzel Washington was acting as peacemaker
Pinkett-Smith has been open about her struggle with alopecia, which happens when the immune system attacks hair follicles and causes hair loss
Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith showed a united front after the row with Rock overshadowed his Oscar win
The actor released a statement on Monday, saying his behavior was ‘unacceptable and inexcusable’ and left him ’embarrassed’.
He wrote in an Instagram post that he was ’embarrassed’ by his actions, which shocked the ceremony attendees, producers and viewers.
‘Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive,’ he wrote.
‘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.
‘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.’
Could Will Smith be stripped of his Oscar? Academy faces pressure to respond after disgraced star broke Code of Conduct drawn up in wake of MeToo Movement
The Academy tweeted its disapproval of ‘violence of any form’ late on Sunday night
There are calls for the Academy to strip Will Smith of his Best Actor Oscar after he walked on stage and slapped comedian Chris Rock who was presenting an award on stage, after making a joke about Jada Pinkett-Smith’s hair.
The Academy, in its code of conduct, is known to take a very a dim view of violence of any kind.
After the award ceremony was over it tweeted: ‘The Academy does not condone violence of any form. Tonight we are delighted to celebrate our 94th Academy Awards winners, who deserve this moment of recognition from their peers and movie lovers around the world.’
The Academy reestablished its Code of Conduct in 2017 during the Me Too Movement.
‘Academy membership is a privilege offered to only a select few within the global community of filmmakers,’ AMPAS CEO Dawn Hudson wrote to members following various scandals in the industry.
On Sunday night, in the Dolby Theatre, there was complete bewilderment in the moments after the assault with took place with those present initially wondering if the punch was part of a stunt.
It took a few moments for the normally unflappable Rock to process but the colorful language from Smith quickly confirmed it wasn’t any kind of joke at all.
The punch threw the entire Oscars broadcast into chaos as producers were frantically forced into deciding how to deal with the on-air assault, with Smith still yet to receive his Best Actor statuette.
The actor released a statement on Monday, saying his behavior was ‘unacceptable and inexcusable’ and left him ’embarrassed’.
He wrote in an Instagram post that he was ’embarrassed’ by his actions, which shocked the ceremony attendees, producers and viewers.
‘Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive,’ he wrote.
‘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.
‘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.’
Smith then went on to say sorry to the organizers and the producers of the show.
Rock has not responded to Smith’s apology, or commented on the Sunday night incident.
Smith also extended his apology to the family of Venus and Serena Williams.
Shortly after slapping Rock, Smith won the best actor award for his portrayal of their father Richard – but the story of their family was overshadowed by Smith’s attack.
Richard Williams – who the Oscar-winner portrays in King Richard – said after the attack that he condemns violence.
Chavoita LeSane, Williams’ son, told NBC: ‘We don’t know all the details of what happened. But we don’t condone anyone hitting anyone else unless it’s in self-defense.’
Smith said: ‘I would also like to apologize to the Academy, the producers of the show, all the attendees and everyone watching around the world,’ Smith continued.
‘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.’
The Philadelphia-born actor concluded: ‘I am a work in progress. Sincerely, Will.’
His apology came as the group that hands out the Oscars on Monday condemned Smith’s actions and said it had started a formal review of the incident that cast a shadow over the film honors.
Smith strode on stage during the live telecast and struck Rock in the face after the comedian made a joke about the appearance of Smith’s wife.
Smith’s meltdown continued when he returned to his seat as he repeatedly screamed: ‘Keep my wife’s name out of your f***ing mouth’.
The crowd then fell into stunned silence as it became clear the attack was genuine, and not staged.
Rock replied to him saying: ‘I’m going to, okay?’
He then laughed uncomfortably, saying: ‘That was the greatest night in the history of television’.
Smith’s sweary rant was muted by directors because the show’s live broadcast is slightly delayed in the US.
But it was aired in full to some international audiences with the uncut clip already been viewed more than a million times on social media and YouTube in the first few hours.
Any questions over whether the altercation was genuine were answered when just over half an hour later Smith was given the Best Actor award and apologized for the assault.
Will Smith had initially laughed at the Rock gag about Jada’s hair being short – a line of Demi Moore’s in GI Jane. His wife looked very unhappy and rolled her eyes
After smacking Rock, a now visibly fuming Smith returned to his seat and began repeatedly yelling: ‘Keep my wife’s name out of your f***ing mouth’. Lupita Nyong’o’ was among those baffled by what happened with many initially believing that an act so outrageous must be part of the show
In his acceptance speech a crying Smith said: ‘Love makes you do crazy things’, as he clutched his Oscar statuette.
‘You gotta be able to take abuse, and you gotta be able to have people talk crazy about you,’ Smith said.
‘In this business, you gotta be able to have people disrespecting you and you gotta smile and you gotta pretend like that’s OK.
‘Denzel (Washington) said to me a few minutes ago, he said, ‘At your highest moment, be careful. That’s when the devil comes for you.’
‘It’s like I want to be a vessel for love.
‘I want to say thank you to Venus and Serena. I want to say thank you to Venus and Serena and the entire Williams family for entrusting me with your story. That’s what I want to do. I want to be an ambassador of that kind of love and care and concern.’
The actor went on: ‘I want to apologize to the Academy, I want to apologize to all my fellow nominees.
‘Art imitates life. I look like the crazy father, just like they said. I look like the crazy father just like they said about Richard Williams. But love will make you do crazy things’.
He added: ‘I’m hoping the Academy invites me back. Thank you’.
Smith’s relationship with his wife had been the butt of jokes during awards season.
At the BAFTAs in London a fortnight ago host Rebel Wilson targeted the couple when he won won the Leading Actor award for his role in King Richard.
The assembled audience at the Royal Albert Hall, which didn’t include the star who stayed in LA, groaned as she said his ‘best performance in the past year was being OK with all his wife’s boyfriends’ – a nod to Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith’s open relationship.
It came after he recently admitted his wife had ‘never believed in a conventional marriage’ and claims she had an affair. This may explain why he reacted so sensitively to Rock’s joke about her.
Smith sobs as he accepted his best actor award, and apologized for the violence – but did not say sorry to Chris Rock
In a statement on Monday, the 9,900-member Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said it ‘condemns the actions of Mr. Smith at last night’s show.’
‘We have officially started a formal review around the incident and will explore further action and consequences in accordance with our Bylaws, Standards of Conduct and California law,’ the academy added.
The group’s standards of conduct policy states it is ‘categorically opposed to any form of abuse, harassment or discrimination’ and expects members to uphold the values ‘of respect for human dignity, inclusion, and a supportive environment that fosters creativity.’
Violations may result in suspension or expulsion from the group, revocation of Oscars, or loss of eligibility for future awards, according to the policy.
A full board of Governors meeting is set for Wednesday and the incident is expected to be the main topic.
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