The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is speeding up its process on debating whether to levy sanctions or other disciplinary actions against Will Smith over his slap of Chris Rock.
A meeting of the board of governors has been moved from April 18 to Friday, which academy President David Rubin attributed to Smith resigning from the academy, meaning “suspension or expulsion are no longer a possibility and the legally prescribed timetable no longer applies” for the process under California law and the academy’s standards of conduct, according to a memo reviewed by the Washington Examiner.
“It is in the best interest of all involved for this to be handled in a timely fashion,” wrote Rubin.
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Smith slapped Rock during the Oscars ceremony on March 27 after the comedian and host of the show made a joke mocking the bald appearance of his wife, actress Jada Pinkett Smith, who has alopecia. He apologized for the slap on March 28 and resigned from the academy on Friday, saying his actions were “shocking, painful, and inexcusable.”
Several of Smith’s projects have been placed on hold following the slap.
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Rock said he was “still kind of processing what happened” on March 30, adding that he would talk about what happened at some point in the future.
