On Monday, we told you how the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced they’d be launching a formal review into the Will Smith slap incident that transpired at this year’s Academy Awards.
Though there’s been much speculation on what type of consequences the King Richard star will face and just how long before we see some movement on behalf of the Academy, in a letter sent out to members on Tuesday, from President David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson that was obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, we now have a good idea as to when we can expect to see something happen.
“Dear Members, Sunday’s telecast of the 94th Oscars was meant to be a celebration of the many individuals in our community who did incredible work this past year,” the letter begins. “We are upset and outraged that those moments were overshadowed by the unacceptable and harmful behavior on stage by a nominee. To be clear, we condemn Mr. Smith’s actions that transpired Sunday night. As outlined in our bylaws, the Academy’s Board of Governors will now make a determination on appropriate action for Mr. Smith.”
It continues:
As governed by California law regarding members of nonprofit organizations like the Academy, and set forth in our Standards of Conduct, this must follow an official process that will take a few weeks.
We will continue to update you on any developments, but we also ask that you respect your Board, Academy staff and the process as this unfolds so it can work in the considered way it was intended and mandated.
Please trust that the Board of Governors will conduct this process in a manner that is both expedient and respectful of all involved while maintaining the standards of the Academy.
Lucky us, that means we’ll have to suffer through at least two to three more weeks of deep dives and horrible takes from a myriad of folks before we learn how the Smith/Rock situation will be dealt with. That also means we’ll be dealing with another two to three weeks of additional discourse debating whether or not whatever form of reprimand Smith receives is fitting. So about another month in total before this whole thing comes to a close. (“Yayyyy,” she said facetiously. Beyoncé, if there was ever a moment for you to drop a surprise album and restore order back to the streets, it’s NOW.)
In addition to the Academy’s response, Chris Rock’s brother Tony also spoke out in regard to the matter on Tuesday. During a Q&A session with his fans and followers on Twitter, the former Showtime at the Apollo host let it be known that he did not approve of Smith’s apology and that he was “waiting” for the Fresh Prince star to speak directly to his brother and the family about it given their long working relationships.