The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has released a statement in response to Will Smith's altercation with Chris Rock.
The heated moment made headlines around the world, as the 53-year-old Men In Black star took to the stage during Sunday's event to confront the 57-year-old comedian, moments after Rock had made a joke about Smith's wife, Jada.
While presenting an award at the 94th Academy Awards, Rock made a joke appearing to comment on Pinkett Smith's shaved head. "Jada, I love ya! G.I. Jane 2 - can't wait to see it," Rock said, seemingly comparing the 50-year-old's appearance to that of Demi Moore's buzzcut in the 1997 movie G.I. Jane.
Check out Rock's joke in the video below:Despite drawing laughs from the audience, the joke was not well-received by Pinkett Smith, who turned away from the stage and rolled her eyes. Moments later, husband Will took to the stage, approached Rock, and slapped him around the face.
The uncomfortable moment led to a bewildered Rock saying: "Will Smith just smacked the s*** out of me."
After returning to his seat, Smith then yelled: "Keep my wife's name out of your f***ing mouth!"
An uncensored video of the moment can also be seen below (Warning - strong language):Now, the Academy has released a statement in response to Smith's actions.
"The Academy condemns the actions of Mr. Smith at last night's show," the statement read, per NBC News.
"We have officially started a formal review around the incident and will explore further action and consequences in accordance with our bylaws, standards of conduct, and California law."
Shortly after Smith confronted Rock, the Academy released a statement to its official Twitter page, reading: "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."
Additionally, the statement also comes after the LAPD has confirmed that Rock had declined to file a police report.
The department said in a statement, per CNN:
"LAPD investigative entities are aware of an incident between two individuals during the Academy Awards program. The incident involved one individual slapping another.
"The individual involved has declined to file a police report. If the involved party desires a police report at a later date, LAPD will be available to complete an investigative report."
Later in the evening, Smith went on to win Best Actor for his role in King Richard. During his acceptance speech, the star apologized for his actions, saying: "I want to apologize to the Academy, I want to apologize to all my fellow nominees. This is a beautiful moment and I’m not crying for winning an award. It’s not about winning an award for me. It’s about being able to shine a light on all of the people."
He also concluded the speech by saying: "Thank you. I’m hoping the Academy invites me back. Thank you."
