EKO HOT BLOG reports that Janet Yang, the boss of the Oscars, has admitted that the Academy made a mistake by allowing Will Smith to stay at last year’s ceremony after he slapped comedian Chris Rock on stage. Yang stated that the Academy would respond differently should a similar incident occur this year.
Speaking to Good Morning Britain ahead of the 95th Academy Awards ceremony, Yang confirmed that the Academy has a team of people and security on hand to defuse any issues this year.
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She also backed the decision to ban Smith from the ceremony for the next ten years, stating that the board of governors made the decision and the Academy would stick by it.
During the 94th Academy Awards ceremony on March 27, 2022, Will Smith walked up onto the stage and slapped Chris Rock in the face after he made a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, who suffers from alopecia.
Despite the incident, Smith went on to win the award for Best Actor, but was banned from the Oscars and other events hosted by the Academy for the next ten years.
The Academy was heavily criticized for allowing Smith to remain in the audience and accept the trophy after attacking Rock on stage. However, Rock said he would not press charges.
Yang’s comments have sparked discussions within the film industry about how incidents like this should be handled in the future. Many are calling for a clearer protocol to be put in place to prevent similar incidents from happening at future ceremonies.
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