Will Smith resigned from the Academy after smacking Chris Rock in the face during the 94th Oscars, but some feel as though the new Best Actor winner should be stripped of his award. Following the altercation with Rock last weekend, which began with a joke made at Jada Pinkett Smith’s expense, Smith was named Best Actor for his role as Richard Williams in King Richard. Kenny Rock, Chris Rock’s brother, recently spoke to The Los Angeles Times and told them he believes Smith should have his award taken back by the Academy.
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“It eats at me watching it over and over again because you’ve seen a loved one being attacked and there’s nothing you can do about it,” Kenny Rock told The Times. “Every time I’m watching the videos, it’s like a rendition that just keeps going over and over in my head. My brother was no threat to him and you just had no respect for him at that moment. You just belittled him in front of millions of people that watch the show.”
The Academy has been investigating the incident further over the last week and there’s no telling if Smith will face further punishment in addition to his self-expulsion from the organization. On the night of the incident, Rock elected not to press charges.
During his Oscar acceptance speech, Smith apologized to the Academy but not to Rock. That changed the day after the awards show when he posted an apology to his Instagram.
“Violence in all of its form is poisonous and destructive,” Smith wrote in a social media post on Monday. “My behavior at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable. Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada’s medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally.”
“I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris,” he added. “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.”
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