After slapping Chris Rock on live TV during the 2022 Academy Awards, Will Smith won his first Oscar. Does he lose the prize in light of what happened?
After the brawl at the 2022 Oscars, Will Smith will likely lose his Oscar. While comedian Chris Rock was on stage to present the award for Best Documentary, he made a few jokes at the expense of the stars in attendance, including one about Jada Pinkett Smith's hair loss. This led to Will Smith slapping Chris Rock live on TV in a dramatic moment that was one of the biggest surprises of the 2022 Academy Awards, which overshadowed the evening's many awards.
The 2022 Academy Awards marked Smith's third Best Actor nomination - his first in Ali and The Pursuit of Happyness - for his role in King Richard. 2022 proved to be Smith's year, and he won the award, although the moment was somewhat marred by the actor's outburst earlier in the ceremony. Smith offered an apology during his address to the Academy and his fellow nominees, but there was no immediate apology to Rock.
Reactions to Smith's slapping of the rocker were divided, with some believing that Smith's reaction was justified, and others condemning his violent approach. However, the Academy has yet to comment, leading many to speculate about the fallout from what happened at the Oscars between Will Smith and Chris Rock. While the Academy has yet to rescind the Academy Award on these grounds, there have been calls for Smith to respond to his actions. Although it may be possible, Smith is unlikely to lose his Oscar because of the accident.
In 2017, the Academy introduced a code of conduct following allegations of sexual misconduct specifically designed to hold its members to standards of behavior befitting their example. While Smith could be said to have broken this code of conduct, many have defended his emotional response to a joke that highlighted his wife's health. Taking Oscar on these grounds would be hard to justify to those who think his actions were somewhat reasonable, especially given his swift and tearful apology.
The moment Will Smith won his first Oscar, his actions overshadowed the way he was accepted. However, Rock refused to file a police report, making it unlikely that Smith would face any legal repercussions. Additionally, the Academy has yet to take back Academy Awards from previous winners in the wake of the scandal — Kevin Spacey still takes home two Oscars after his sexual misconduct allegations were exposed — and taking Smith after the slap would set a difficult precedent with a potentially problematic message.
These factors combined make it unlikely that Smith will miss the Academy Award, but that decision will be made entirely at the Academy's discretion. Smith's actions may have violated the academy's code of conduct, but the actor's emotional reaction to Rock's comments about Jada Pinkett Smith was an attempt to defend his wife's honor. As such, withdrawing the Will Smith award would be a divisive move for the Academy, even after the huge furor Smith and Rock created at the 2022 Academy Awards.