Could Will Smith lose his Best Actor Oscar for hitting Chris Rock?

Motion Picture Academy is currently considering ‘consequences’ for incident involving Chris Rock

Fans have questioned whether Will Smith could lose his Oscar after hitting Chris Rock in the face on stage.

During Sunday (27 March) night’s awards show, Rock made a joke about Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith, referring to her as “GI Jane 2” in reference to her shaved head.

Smith then walked onto the stage and hit Rock, before returning to his seat and shouting: “Keep my wife’s name out your f***ing mouth.”

Just 15 minutes later, Smith won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in King Richard, using his speech to say: “I’m being called on in my life to love people and to protect people and to be a river to my people.”

Following the altercation, the Academy tweeted: “The Academy does not condone violence of any form.”

On Monday (28 March), it was reported that the Academy has called an emergency meeting in order to look into “consequences” for Smith.

In a statement released after the incident, the Academy “condemned” the actor’s actions, and said an investigation was being launched into prospective sanctions.

“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.”

As a result, viewers have questioned whether Smith will be stripped of his long-awaited Oscar for his actions.

In the wake of the #MeToo scandal in 2017, the Academy publicly released their code of conduct.

The guidelines emphasise the importance of “upholding the Academy’s values of respect for human dignity, inclusion, and a supportive environment that fosters creativity”.

CEO Dawn Hudson said at the time that “there is no place in the Academy for people who abuse their status, power or influence in a manner that violates recognised standards of decency.

“The Academy is categorically opposed to any form of abuse, harassment or discrimination on the basis of gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, disability, age, religion, or nationality. The Board of Governors believes that these standards are essential to the Academy’s mission and reflective of our values.”

Harvey Weinstein was kicked out of the Academy and stripped of his Oscar from 1999 for Shakespeare in Love following multiple accusations of sexual assault.

The Independent has contacted the Academy for comment.

Although Smith did not apologise to Rock on the night, the actor has since released a statement publicly saying sorry to the comedian.

“I would like to publicly apologise to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong,” wrote Smith. “I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be.”

Find the full list of 2022 Oscar winners here. See the latest updates and reactions from the dramatic ceremony here, and read about the biggest talking points here.