Could Will Smith lose his Oscar award?

AUDIENCES were shocked at Will Smith’s violent encounter with Chris Rock at the 94th Academy Awards.

During the live ceremony, Will Smith left viewers flabbergasted after he hit Chris Rock in the face following Chris’ heckling of his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.

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Could Will Smith lose his Oscar award?

Despite the confrontation between Will Smith and Chris Rock, the King Richard nominee took home the night’s win for Best Actor.

In the wake of the Will and Chris slap drama, many of their peers voiced their opinion of Will’s Best Actor win.

The Academy themselves also chimed in on the incident and took to Twitter with a statement.

The organization tweeted: “The Academy does not condone violence of any form.”

“Tonight we are delighted to celebrate our 94th Academy Awards winners, who deserve this moment of recognition from their peers and movie lovers around the world.”

Based on claims from a source, The New York Post reported on the alleged consequences Will could suffer due to his violence at the show.

The publication’s Academy source claimed: “It’s basically assault. Everyone was just so shocked in the room, it was so uncomfortable.”

“I think Will would not want to give his Oscar back, but who knows what will happen now.”

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Neither the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences nor Will Smith released an official statement to the press regarding the matter of the Best Actor award’s potential revocation.

However, another Academy source exclusively disclosed to The Sun: “The Academy publicly condemned Will slapping Chris and behind the scenes, they went into full crisis mode.

“Once the ceremony was over, they called in key members to hold an emergency meeting about what action they should take.”

The Sun’s source added: “There have been calls to have Will stripped of his Best Actor gong.”

“They cannot be seen to be condoning violence in any way and there are some people in the Academy who believe they should remove the award from him to make a point.

“Others however believe he should be allowed to hold onto it.

“Chris was immediately supported backstage and has been offered a package of aftercare where he can talk to professionals provided by the academy if needed.

“The Academy is taking this incredibly seriously,” the source concluded.

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What is the Oscars’ code of conduct?

After viewers saw Will slap Chris, the Oscars’ code of conduct is the center of much speculation.

In a 2017 letter obtained by Variety, Academy CEO Dawn Hudson detailed the guidelines concerning violations and misconduct.

The letter read: “Academy membership is a privilege offered to only a select few within the global community of filmmakers.”

“The Academy’s goal is not to be an investigative body, but rather ensure that when a grievance is made, it will go through a fair and methodical process.”

“This process will determine whether a claim will be brought to the Board for possible action regarding membership status.”

The guidelines further stated: “In addition to achieving excellence in the field of motion picture arts and sciences, members must also behave ethically by upholding the Academy’s values of respect for human dignity, inclusion, and a supportive environment that fosters creativity.”

“The Academy asks that members embrace their responsibility to affirm these principles and act when these principles are violated.”

“There is no place in the Academy for people who abuse their status, power or influence in a manner that violates recognized standards of decency.”