Explained: Why is Will Smith not going to Oscars 2023?

With the Oscars right around the corner, Will Smith was bound to become a topic of discussion. This comes after the infamous incident involving the actor at last year's event. The Oscar-winning actor stepped up to the stage and slapped host Chris Rock, who attempted a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.

With the award ceremony a day away, many are wondering whether the King Richard actor will make an appearance at the ceremony. It is important to note that Will Smith will not be attending the ceremony as he was banned by the Academy after the infamous incident.

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Will Smith has been banned from the Oscars for 10 years

Smith has been banned from attending the Oscars ceremony for the next 10 years, so viewers will not see him walk the famous red carpet for quite a while.

The Academy addressed the situation and released a statement after the incident made headlines. A portion of this statement read:

"The 94th Oscars were meant to be a celebration of the many individuals in our community who did incredible work this past year; however, those moments were overshadowed by the unacceptable and harmful behavior we saw Mr. Smith exhibit on stage. During our telecast, we did not adequately address the situation in the room. For this, we are sorry."

It continued:

"Today, the Board of Governors convened a meeting to discuss how best to respond to Will Smith’s actions at the Oscars, in addition to accepting his resignation. 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."

Will Smith has been widely revered as an actor for generations now. With multiple hits and just as many critically successful films, Smith is considered a legend in the field. However, things did not go well for the actor as he lost his temper after Rock took a dig at Jada Pinkett Smith for shaving her head and hinted that she resembled G.I. Jane. It is important to note that Jada has been diagnosed with alopecia, a condition that leads to hair loss.

Will Smith proceeded to walk to the stage after Rock's comment and slapped the comedian while asking him to keep his wife's name out of his mouth. Rock remained calm and quickly regained his composure. At the event, Smith bagged one of the biggest awards for Best Actor for King Richard but also got himself banned from attending the ceremony in the near future.

Smith later recalled that night with regret while discussing it with Trevor Noah and said:

"That was a horrific night, as you can imagine,...There's many nuances and complexities to it, but at the end of the day, I just — I lost it. I guess what I would say, you just never know what somebody's going through...I was going through something that night. And not that that justifies my behavior at all. You're asking what did I learn and it's that we just got to be nice to each other, man. It's hard. And I guess the thing that was most painful for me is that I took my hard and made it hard for other people."

The brawl between Smith and Rock has recently taken a different shape, with the comedian being more vocal about his response to the slap. After putting the matter to rest for a while, Chris Rock became the talk of the town with his latest Netflix special, Chris Rock: Selective Outrage. The comedian created a public uproar with his mention of Jada's affair.

Anyhow, Will Smith fans will have to go on without seeing the actor at the prestigious Oscars ceremony for the next 10 years.

Fans are now excited for the 2023 Oscars as they cheer on their favorite stars. The prestigious event is scheduled to take place on March 12, 2023, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.