Hollywood thespian Will Smith has been banned from the Oscars as the sequel to slapping the comedian Chris Rock on the stage that was on-air across the globe. At the 94th Oscars that was held last month, Will Smith has two takeaways that history will always remember-  the first is bagging his first Oscar Award for Best Actor and the second one is the latest- the ban imposed on him by the prestigious label, which will crucially impact his career. 

An outcast, which will last for a decade, from the Oscars on the actor who would otherwise be celebrated for his milestone has come two weeks after the incident, which Will Smith has affirmed to be inexcusable. On Friday- April 8, the Academy has come up with a ban as its action for Will Smith's conduct on the stage. The Academy said that he has been banned from the Oscars and other Academy events for ten years, although he has a breather that he can be nominated for the Awards. 

The announcement of a ban has swiftly drawn global attention as it has come in the midst of Smith's public apology to the comedian and to the Academy. In a statement, the Academy said the 94th Oscars had been overshadowed by the unacceptable and harmful behaviour exhibited by Will Smith. Academy President David Rubin and Chief Executive Dawn Hudson said, "The 94th Oscars were meant to be a celebration of the many individuals in our community who did incredible work this past year." 

"The Board has decided, for a period of 10 years from April 8, 2022, Mr Smith shall not be permitted to attend any Academy events or programs, in person or virtually, including but not limited to the Academy Awards", the statement read. According to reports, Academy governors had convened on Friday morning to discuss actions against Smith, with board members Steven Spielberg and Whoopi Goldberg among those who were invited to decide on the action to be taken on Will Smith. 

Originally, the board has decided to expel Smith from his Academy membership, but as he had tendered his resignation from the membership, it was then decided to impose a ban on him. The statement further said, "This action we are taking today in response to Will Smith's behaviour is a step toward a larger goal of protecting the safety of our performers and guests, and restoring trust in the Academy. We also hope this can begin a time of healing and restoration for all involved and impacted."

Will Smith is the latest in the line of Oscars pariah: 

Through bracing up for the ban, Will Smith would endure a crucial setback in his career that he would be isolated from attending the Oscars ceremonies that still continue to be a sanctum sanctorum for several actors across the globe. The isolation would be hard and would impact him as the scale of action has put him in the line of stars who were either banned, resigned, or expelled from the Oscars, mainly for their sexual misconduct allegations. 

Four members - producer Harvey Weinstein, actor Bill Cosby, director Roman Polanski, and cinematographer Adam Kimmel have been banned from attending the Oscars so far, while actor Carmine Caridi was expelled in 2004 for pirating screener videos given to him. Now, Will Smith has joined this list with a ban. Earlier, the board was also considering taking back the Oscars Award from Will Smith, but the consideration was later revoked and the actor can keep his Oscars, but as he has resigned from his membership, he can't vote on the nominations for the awards in the upcoming years. 

Last month, actor Whoopi Goldberg - a member of the Academy's board of governors had said, "Smith would face big consequences but we are not going to take that Oscar away from him." In his resignation statement, Smith said he had betrayed the trust of the Academy and was heartbroken over his actions. He further said that he would fully accept the consequences of his conduct. Two weeks after the incident, he has now faced the consequence that he has been banned from the Oscars for ten years. 

Will Smith's response and the recap: 

After receiving the announcement that he has been banned from the Oscars, Will Smith responded for the first time to the ban on Friday. In a brief statement, he said, "I accept and respect the Academy's decision." During the Oscars event that was held last month in Los Angeles, Will Smith went offensive and slapped comedian Chris Rock after the latter had mocked Jada Pinkett-Smith, the wife of Will Smith, over her clean shaved head as the sequel of the hair loss disorder called 'alopecia'. Rock was presenting the award for the best documentary during which he had thrown a jibing remark on Jada. 

Will Smith had directly walked onto the stage and slapped Chris Rock and after coming back to his seat, Smith had warned the comedian in an angry tone. He said to Rock, "Keep my wife's name out of your (expletive) mouth." Nearly forty minutes after slapping Chris Rock, Will Smith took the stage again to lift the Oscars for the first time in his career as he was conferred with the Oscars for the Best Actor in the movie 'King Richard'. After accepting the award, Will Smith had apologized to the Academy and to his fellow nominees for his action. 

With the ban, Will Smith will be missing a big and prestigious honour at the Oscars. Traditionally, the Oscar winner for the best actor will be invited to present at the following year's best actor award. However, Will Smith can't be able to find himself with the honour. In its statement on Friday - April 8, the Academy board said, "During our telecast, we did not adequately address the situation in the room." 

"For this, we are sorry. This was an opportunity for us to set an example for our guests, viewers, and our Academy family around the world, and we fell short - unprepared for the unprecedented", it added. The Academy has also thanked Chris Rock for maintaining his composure under extraordinary circumstances. It has been reported that beyond the Academy's ban, Smith is also enduring more setbacks as Sony and Netflix have decided to pause their projects with the actor.