Will Smith Faces Suspension, Expulsion Or 'Other Sanctions' For Slapping Chris Rock At Oscars: What The Academy Said

The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has started a process against actor and Oscar winner Will Smith that could lead to “suspension, expulsion or other sanctions” for his conduct during the recently held awards ceremony, Reuters reported on Wednesday.

What Happened: The academy will decide on the disciplinary action for Smith during its next board meeting on April 18.

According to the academy's rules, Smith can provide a written response before the group takes action.

The 53-year old actor had refused to leave the ceremony on Sunday night after he slapped presenter Chris Rock over a joke about Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, the academy said.

"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," the academy said in a statement, according to Reuters.

The academy thanked Rock for showing "resilience at that moment."

Smith won Best Actor for his role in “King Richard,” nearly an hour after he slapped a bewildered Rock and yelled profanities at him. He apologized to the academy and fellow nominees during his acceptance speech but did not mention Rock. 

Nearly 24 hours later, Smith issued an apology to the presenter on Instagram, saying he was “out of line” and “wrong" for his actions.

See Also: Will Smith Says He Was 'Out Of Line' And 'Wrong' In Public Apology To Chris Rock 

Why It Matters: Smith’s actions on Sunday night overshadowed this year’s Best Picture award that went to Apple Inc’s AAPL low-budget film "CODA". The $10 million family drama saw Apple Original Films win the top honor at the Oscars and beat rival Netflix Inc NFLX.