Will Will Smith attend the Oscars this year?
It's hard to believe, but 2022 is when Will Smith beat Chris Rock at the Oscars. It was a shocking and divisive moment in terms of how people reacted on social media.
The frenzy of extremely polarizing takes has had plenty of time to cool down since.
the problem is… Will Will Smith attend this year's Oscars? Did the Academy invite him too?
Will Will Smith attend the Oscars this year?
On April 8, 2022, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) made its decision. AMPAS banned Will Smith from attending the Oscars for 10 years, including all other Academy events.
This means he cannot be a presenter, a guest, or a plus one. Especially since he can't even attend these events virtually. This feels like avoidance rather than excessive safety precautions.
Will Smith publicly accepted the Academy's decision. So it is (obviously) unlikely that he would try to “crash” one of these events.
Why did Will Smith get a 10-year ban from the Oscars?
The short answer is that Will Smith punched Chris Rock in the face when Rock announced his 2022 Best Documentary Feature presentation. The full answer requires some background.
Will Smith and Chris Rock have known each other for decades. They have both known Will's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, for decades.
And historically, Chris Rock has seemed obsessed with Jada and has taken some strange jabs at her. On March 27, 2022, he made a joke about Jada's shaved head on stage at the Oscars.
That night, Will Smith actually won an Oscar.
Will Smith ended up winning Best Actor. ~ after The infamous spanking.
At the time, he apologized to the Academy and other nominees in attendance. It was only the next day that he took to social media and apologized to Chris Rock.
Will Smith resigned his AMPAS membership just days after the incident. Amid an intense and sometimes disproportionate backlash, he faced potential suspension or expulsion.
When will Will Smith be able to attend the Oscars again?
Ultimately, the famous actor was banned for 10 years from all Academy events, including (among other things) the Oscars.
Given the wording and timing of the AMPAS decision, he will be able to attend the event again from April 8, 2032.
He will be able to attend the 2033 Oscars, as long as the Academy Awards are not held after that year.
What was Jada Pinkett Smith's role in all of this?
Some social media miscreants hoped to “blame” Jada for the entire event. why? Because misogyny rots the brain.
Her only role here was to be a witness, Will Smith's wife, and the target of yet another of Chris Rock's unkind jokes.
Most notably, during a 2018 episode of Red Table Talk, Jada opened up about having alopecia areata. It's no secret why she shaved her head, and the joke was definitely a bad one.
Ultimately, the case has become extremely polarizing because it is more complicated than both sides would like to admit. Those who claim it's unremarkable are just as mistaken as those who (tastefully) liken the incident to domestic violence.
On the one hand, what we saw were two adult men, world-famous millionaires, who had known each other for decades. One continued to ask questions about the other's wife, while the other responded by slapping him in the face.
But on the other hand, the Oscars are to some extent a “work event”. Not only was it a crime (yes, assault is a crime), it was understandable. part AMPAS's response – just like how management should respond if one office colleague hits another at a retirement party.