Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

As it happenedended

Will Smith news - live: ‘Heartbroken’ actor’s resignation from the Academy accepted by organisation

Best Actor winner resigns from Motion Picture Academy, saying list of those harmed by Oscars slap is “long and includes Chris, his family, many of my dear friends and loved ones”

Peony Hirwani
Sunday 03 April 2022 08:28 BST
Comments
Will Smith punches Chris Rock at the Oscars

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Nearly a week after Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars, Hollywood is still abuzz with activity, as celebrities weigh in on the incident, while a “formal review” of the incident began at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Now they’ve got something new to talk about: the King Richard star has resigned from the Academy, which puts on the Oscars.

“The list of those I have hurt is long and includes Chris, his family, many of my dear friends and loved ones, all those in attendance, and global audiences at home,” Smith said in a statement. “I betrayed the trust of the Academy. I deprived other nominees and winners of their opportunity to celebrate and be celebrated for their extraordinary work. I am heartbroken.”

It’s the latest sign of friction between the Hollywood heavyweight and the film group.

Smith was reportedly asked to leave the Oscars after breaking the Academy’s code of conduct, but he refused.

Though Mr Rock has declined to press charges against Mr Smith, on Wednesday, during the sold-out Boston show of his Ego Death tour, Rock finally addressed the altercation and said he was “still processing.”

“I’m still processing what happened, so at some point I’ll talk about that s***,” the comedian also said on stage, adding, “It’ll be serious. It’ll be funny, but right now I’m going to tell some jokes.”

You can follow all the developments about the “slap that was heard around the world” in our live blog below...

Now we all love a bit of Oscar trivia, but did you know that a Dundee United football player was also an Academy Award winner?

Isobel Lewis27 March 2022 14:13

A new category will be making an appearance at this year’s Oscars, in the form of the #FanFavourite online pole.

Every film released from 1 March to 31 December 2021 is eligible for votes, with fans able to vote up to 10 times a day for their favourite films.

The winning film will be announced on the night and with fans voting, it’s likely to be something a little different to the rest of the nominees.

Early reports suggested that Zack Snyder’s Army of the Dead and Amazon’s Cinderella starring Camila Cabello were in the lead, but we’ll have to wait and see!

Isobel Lewis27 March 2022 14:45

Jessica Chastain shares post of appreciation for her fellow Best Actress nominees

This year’s Best Actress category is looking to be one of the tightest competitions of the night, with no clear frontrunner.

Nobody knows this more than Jessica Chastain, who has shared a series of Instagram Stories heaping praise on her fellow nominees.

“Can we take a moment to appreciate these women I have the honour of being included with,” she wrote.

Chastain showed support for her fellow nominees
Chastain showed support for her fellow nominees (Jessica Chastain/Instagram)

“@NicoleKidman lovingly introduced by to a side of Lucy [Ball] I wasn’t aware existed,” she wrote of Kidman’s performance in Being the Ricardos.

She then described Parallel Mothers’ Penelope Cruz’s performance as “unPARALLELED”.

To The Lost Daughters’ Olivia Colman, she wrote: “Hi, I’m obsessed with you and your ginormous talent. This performance is everything.”

“Kristen Stewart shocked me with her nuanced and heartfelt performance,” she said of the actor’s turn as Princess Diana in Spencer.

Chastain is nominated for The Eyes of Tammy Faye.

Isobel Lewis27 March 2022 15:20

It’s been five years since the infamous mix-up that saw La La Land incorrectly announced as the winner of Best Picture rather than the real winner Moonlight.

Anyone else starting to feel really, really old?

Oscars 2017: Watch the La La Land-Moonlight Best Picture error in full
Isobel Lewis27 March 2022 15:45

If The Power of the Dog wins for Best Director (as the bookies think it will), it’ll make Jane Campion only the third woman to win the prize.

She will follow Chloe Zhao, who last year took home the statue for her film Nomadland. Zhao was also the first non-white woman to be named Best Director.

Chloe Zhao first woman of colour to win Best Director

Nomadland won for Best Picture as well, while its star Frances McDormand was given the prize for Best Actress.

Want a recap on last year’s winners? Check out the link below.

Oscars 2021 winners: The full list

Number of surprise wins rocked ceremony

Isobel Lewis27 March 2022 16:15

The ceremony has been held there since 2002, when the Hollywood location was known as the Kodak Theatre.

However, last year’s Academy Awards were presented for the first time at Union Station in Downtown Los Angeles, utilising a mix of indoor and outdoor spaces due to the pandemic.

Isobel Lewis27 March 2022 16:45

The troublesome trio of Amy Schumer, Regina Hall and Wanda Sykes will be presenting tonight’s Academy Awards, joining a long line of hosts.

It’s been three years since the Oscars had a proper host, after Kevin Hart stepped down in 2019 following backlash to a series of homophobic tweets.

However, not all Oscar hosts are created equal – for every Billy Crystal, you have the car crash that was Anne Hathaway and James Franco.

Read below to see the very best and worst Oscars hosts of all time.

The 5 best and 5 worst Oscars hosts of all-time

From Jon Stewart to Seth MacFarlane, the quality of Oscars hosts has fluctuated immensely

Isobel Lewis27 March 2022 17:15

This year’s Best Picture nominees are: CODA, Drive My Car, Dune, King Richard, Licorice Pizza, Nightmare Alley, The Power of the Dog andWest Side Story.

Which one of them will be joining this illustrious groups of former winners? You’ll have to wait and see...

Isobel Lewis27 March 2022 17:45

Tonight could also be the night that Kirsten Dunst wins her first Oscar.

Shockingly, theVirgin Suicides star has never even been nominated before, but stands in good stead after getting a nod for Best Supporting Actress for her role in The Power of the Dog.

Check out our interview with her below...

Kirsten Dunst: ‘The pay disparity between me and Spider-Man was very extreme’

The ‘Virgin Suicides’ star speaks to Alexandra Pollard about the pressure to alter her appearance, facing ‘weird’ questions as a teenage talk show guest, and her role in Jane Campion’s acclaimed new film ‘The Power of the Dog’

Isobel Lewis27 March 2022 18:15

We’re all now used to that trademark “hurry up” music when an actor’s speech goes on too long, but did you know that the longest Oscars speech of all time was a whopping four minutes long?

Greer Garson, who was named Best Actress for her role in Mrs Miniver, was responsible for the address, which you can find out more about at the link below.

The story behind the longest Oscars acceptance speech of all time

In 1943, English actor Greer Garson won the Academy Award for Best Actress and spoke for an undefeated four minutes. Clémence Michallon revisits this page in Oscars history

Isobel Lewis27 March 2022 18:45

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in