By David Royal

Will Smith, who won the 2022 best actor Oscar for his role in King Richard, now faces possible disciplinary action by the Academy after hitting Chris Rock at the award ceremony on Sunday.

The Academy will meet later this week to determine if action will be taken against the Oscar winner over the incident.

Well, looking at how it turned out, the slap that got the world talking and overshadowed the 94th Academy Awards is far from being swept under the red carpet.

You would recall that Actor Will Smith attacked Chris Rock after the comedian made a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, at the ceremony.

The joke appeared to reference Pinkett Smith’s alopecia, an auto-immune disease that causes hair loss.

However, Smith after many faces of mounting backlash apologized to Chris Rock for the assault.

In a statement released early Tuesday morning, Smith said “I would like to publicly apologize 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. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness.

“I would also like to apologize to the Academy, the producers of the show, all the attendees and everyone watching around the world. I would like to apologize to the Williams Family and my King Richard Family. I deeply regret that my behavior has stained what has been an otherwise gorgeous journey for all of us. I am a work in progress.”

Meanwhile, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which hosts the Oscars, said it had launched a formal review into the incident and fans are wondering: could Smith be stripped of his Oscar?

READ ALSO: My behavior at Academy Awards unacceptable, inexcusable, Will Smith says as he apologizes to Chris Rock, Academy

The Academy also issued a statement condemning Smith’s actions, announcing it will launch an inquiry to determine further action and consequences. The Academy’s board of governors will meet on Wednesday to discuss the issue.

The Academy prohibits uninvited physical contact and according to the association’s bylaws, disciplinary action could include “suspension of membership or expulsion from membership”.

Whoopi Goldberg, actor and member of the Academy’s board of governors, said during US talkshow The View on Monday: “We’re not going to take that Oscar from him. There will be consequences I’m sure, but I don’t think that’s what they’ll do.”

Vanguard News Nigeria