Los Angeles – Will Smith resigned from the Oscars award Academy on Friday, five days after assaulting comedian Chris Rock during a live broadcast around the world.
The actor said his action, which set the tone for Hollywood’s best night of the year, was “horrible, traumatic and unjustifiable.”
“The list of those I have hurt is long and includes Chris, his family, most of my dear and dear friends, all present, and the international audience at home,” Smith said.
“I did not trust the Academy. I deprived some of the nominees and winners of the opportunity to celebrate and be celebrated for their amazing work. My heart is aching. ”
Attendees at the Dolby Theater watched with open mouth as Smith took to the stage and slapped Rock in the face after the comedy made a joke with his wife’s head cut off nearby.
Jada Pinkett Smith has alopecia, a condition that causes hair loss.
He returned to his seat and unleashed a flare on Rock, which has been widely praised for his self-control and resilience.
Half an hour after the surprise attack, Smith was awarded as the best Oscar-winning actor for his role in the biopic drama “King Richard”.
There have been conflicting reports in recent days about whether Smith was asked to leave the event as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said he refused to attend.
The group said this week for the first time Smith was disciplined – the fifth black man to win the world’s highest film award – and warned that he could face extraordinary dismissal.
But on Friday, Smith handed down the sentence.
“I am resigning from the membership of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and will welcome any other results that the Board deems appropriate.
“I want to once again focus on those who deserve attention for their achievements and allow the Academy to return to the amazing work it is doing to support the art and craftsmanship of the film.”
Rock, who told a Boston comedy audience this week that he was “still sort of a fan” of events, would be commended for his handling of the events.
The Oscars co-ordinator, Will Packer, told ABC that it was a comedy that allowed the game to continue.
“Because Chris continued the way he did, he ended the class. He handed the trophy to Questlove… and gave us permission to continue the game, which we were trying to do, ”he said.
Packer said he was advised of Smith’s dismissal from the theater after speaking to Rock as he left the stage.
“I said:‘ Did he really hit you? ’And he looked at me and said:‘ Yes. I just got a punch from Muhammad Ali, ‘”Packer said.
Smith played the famous boxer in the 2001 film “Ali.”
Packer said he had not yet been part of the conversation about removing Smith, but had spoken out.
“I immediately went to the Academy leaders present and said: ‘Chris Rock does not want that,’ and said: ‘Rock has made it clear that he does not want to make things worse.'”
The applause received by Smith for winning the Oscar has been widely criticized, with allegations that Hollywood did not take the attack seriously.
Packer said it was applauded for the actor and his work, not for the incident.
“I think the people in the room stood up, representing someone they knew, a peer, a friend, a brother, thirty-three years old. which is the opposite of what we saw at the time, ”he said.
“I don’t think these were the people who applauded anything at the time, and all these people saw their friend in a very bad situation and hoped that they would encourage and uplift him and that he would try something. to make it better. “