Will Smith news - live: ‘Heartbroken’ actor’s resignation from the Academy accepted by organisation
Best Actor winner resigns from Motion Picture Academy, saying list of those harmed by Oscars slap is “long and includes Chris, his family, many of my dear friends and loved ones”
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Your support makes all the difference.Nearly a week after Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars, Hollywood is still abuzz with activity, as celebrities weigh in on the incident, while a “formal review” of the incident began at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Now they’ve got something new to talk about: the King Richard star has resigned from the Academy, which puts on the Oscars.
“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,” Smith said in a statement. “I betrayed the trust of the Academy. I deprived other nominees and winners of their opportunity to celebrate and be celebrated for their extraordinary work. I am heartbroken.”
It’s the latest sign of friction between the Hollywood heavyweight and the film group.
Smith was reportedly asked to leave the Oscars after breaking the Academy’s code of conduct, but he refused.
Though Mr Rock has declined to press charges against Mr Smith, on Wednesday, during the sold-out Boston show of his Ego Death tour, Rock finally addressed the altercation and said he was “still processing.”
“I’m still processing what happened, so at some point I’ll talk about that s***,” the comedian also said on stage, adding, “It’ll be serious. It’ll be funny, but right now I’m going to tell some jokes.”
You can follow all the developments about the “slap that was heard around the world” in our live blog below...
Jimmy Kimmel says he ‘hoped’ Chris Rock was unaware of Jada Pinkett Smith’s struggles with alopecia before he made the joke
Jimmy Kimmel was one of many late night hosts to comment on the dramatic moment.
The presenter used the opportunity to congratulate Oscars co-hosts Regina Hall, Wanda Sykes, and Amy Schumer on the night, writing that he hopes their accomplishments aren’t “overshadowed by the unpleasantness”.
Jimmy Kimmel comments on dramatic Oscars incident with Chris Rock
Kimmel also discussed the shocking moment in a podcast aired after the ceremony, revealing he initially thought the moment was staged
He later said that he “hoped” that Rock did not know about Pinkett Smith’s struggles with alopecia before making the joke about her shaved head.
Why Will Smith’s expletive-filled outburst was censored in the US – but nowhere else
ABC successfully censored Will Smith’s expletive-ridden outburst in the US – but international audiences leaked the raw footage only moments later.
The network’s feed was on a customary 20-second delay in order to allow producers time to bleep swears words or cut scenes that may potentially violate Federal Communications Commission guidelines.
The audio of Smith yelling “keep my wife’s name out your f***ing mouth” was censored in the US.
International networks, however, were broadcasting raw footage from the awards show to global audiences who witnessed the scenes uncensored.
Within seconds, US audiences were able to view the unedited moment after viewers in other countries shared clips of the incident on social media.
Chris Rock previously made fun of Jada Pinkett Smith during the 2016 Oscars
In the wake of the on-stage incident, a previous Oscars joke that Chris Rock made about Jada Pinkett Smith has resurfaced.
In 2016, when he presented the ceremony that had been boycott due to its lack of diversity, Rock said: “Jada boycotting the Oscars is like me boycotting Rihanna’s panties. I wasn’t invited.”
Pinkett Smith addressed the dig the following week, telling X17 that “it comes with the territory”.
You can read about Rock’s 2016 joke and Pinkett Smith’s response in full below.
Chris Rock joke about Jada Pinkett Smith resurfaces after he’s hit by Will Smith
Rock has a history of making quips about Pinkett Smith
Jada Pinkett-Smith appears to address the Oscars incident
Jada Pinkett Smith has shared her first social media post since her husband hit Chris Rock at the Oscars.
The post simply states the following words against a pale pink background: “This is a season for healing and I’m here for it”. Pinkett Smith did not add a caption to her post and has imposed restrictions on who can and cannot leave a comment underneath.
Jada Pinkett Smith breaks silence after Will Smith hits Chris Rock
‘This is a season for healing,’ reads quote
Her post follows after her husband’s statement apologising to Rock for his actions.
Entourage creator labels Will Smith a 'narcissist who made the entire night about himself’
Entourage creator Doug Ellin has labelled Will Smith a “bully” and a “narcissist” for his actions.
The comedy writer wrote on Twitter: “Can’t believe anyone would defend Will. Gas lighting narcissist who made entire night about himself.”
He condemned Smith for taking the attention away from other accomplishments on the night.
Entourage creator calls Will Smith a ‘bully’ and a ‘narcissist’ after Chris Rock slap
Doug Ellin also said Smith was ‘oversensitive’
“All about Will. All anyone will remember. An overly sensitive out of control bully,” he said.
“Not Questlove’s amazing speech, not the deaf actor from Coda who was awesome.”
Ellin added that “they would have shot Jesse Plemons if he did the same thing”.
Judd Apatow backtracks earlier comments hitting out at Will Smith
Judd Apatow has backtracked his previous comments about Will Smith hitting Chris Rock.
The Knocked Up filmmaker attracted widespread criticism for his since-deleted tweets, in which he strongly condemned Smith’s actions. In one post, Apatow said the actor “could have killed” the comedian.
He has since spoken further about his remarks during an appearance on SiriusXM, stating: “The truth is that I wasn’t watching the show at that time.”
Judd Apatow backtracks controversial comments about Will Smith hitting Chris Rock
‘The truth is that I wasn’t watching the show at that time’
He also added that he did not view Rock’s joke – which compared Jada Pinkett Smith to Demi Moore’s character in 1997’s GI Jane – to be offensive to the actor.
“[GI Jane] was Demi Moore at her strongest, most gorgeous. And the point of that movie was that she shaved her head and she looked fantastic,” said Apatow, adding that he does not know “all the relationships involved”.
Although the actor left Chris Rock out of his apologies on the night, Will Smith has issued a statement publicly saying sorry to the comedian.
“I would like to publicly apologise 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,” said Smith.
You can read the full apology here.
Read Will Smith’s full apology to Chris Rock
‘I am a work in progress,’ Smith wrote of the controversial Oscars slap
Will Smith’s mum speaks out on his Chris Rock Oscars slap
Will Smith’s mum has said she was “surprised” upon seeing her son slap Chris Rock, adding that Smith is a “very even, people person” in a new interview.
“That’s the first time I’ve ever seen him go off. First time in his lifetime,” Caroline Smith told Philadelphia news station Action News, adding: “I’ve never seen him do that.”
The actor’s mother also revealed she spoke to Smith, who won the Best Actor Oscar on Sunday, the day after the dramatic ceremony and advised him to get some rest.
Read the full story here.
Will Smith’s mum speaks out over shock of Chris Rock Oscars slap
Caroline Bright says she was shocked by Will Smith’s outburst at the Oscars
Has Chris Rock responded to Will Smith’s apology?
Hollywood has bene left reeling by the incident, which occurred at the 2022 Oscars.
Smith has issued an apology to the comedian – but many are wondering what Rock has said about the moment.
Has Chris Rock responded to Will Smith’s apology?
Hollywood’s been left reeling after Smith hit comedian on stage at the Oscars
What did Denzel Washington say to Will Smith after he hit Chris Rock?
After the incident, Washington could be seen talking to Smith. Minutes later, when Smith won Best Actor for King Richard, Washington said something to the tearful actor from his seat.
This led Smith to discuss the moment discuss what piece of advice Washington had given him in the wake of the moment.
Read the full story here.
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