The Motion Picture Academy’s 51-member board of governors is meeting Wednesday in an emergency session to discuss the incident that occurred Sunday at the Oscars, when Will Smith walked on stage and slapped Chris Rock after he joked about Jada Pinkett Smith’s appearance.
While a few board members will be present at the Academy headquarters in Los Angeles for the meeting, most of them will attend via Zoom. Academy governors include Rita Wilson, Whoopi Goldenberg, Rita Wilson and Laura Dern.
The Academy had denounced Smith earlier Wednesday in a letter addressed to nearly 10,000 members.
“Sunday’s telecast of the 94th Oscars was meant to be a celebration of the many individuals in our community who did incredible work this past year. We are upset and outraged that those moments were overshadowed by the unacceptable and harmful behavior on stage by a nominee. To be clear, we condemn Mr. Smith’s actions that transpired Sunday night,”The letter stated.
A decision regarding the “appropriate action”Smith is expected take a “few weeks”Follow these steps to “official process” in accordance with the Academy’s standards of conduct and California law, the letter continued.
Will Smith was seen out and about on Wednesday in a sports car. Police were called after a drone was observed hovering over his house.
Chris Rock was spotted in public for the first time since the incident in Boston, where he’s performing 12 sold-out shows at the Wilbur Theater over the next six nights.
Demand for tickets for Rock’s world tour has increased since the Oscars. They were being resold for $1,000, up from $46 last week.