Is Will Smith still banned from the Oscars?
ABCIt was the slap heard around the world, and three years later, many are wondering if Will Smith is still banned from the Oscars for his outburst.
The 94th Academy Awards in 2022 was going off without a hitch. Awards were being given, and anticipation for the big three (Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Picture) was growing. But then, Will Smith got on stage while Chris Rock was presenting a category, and Academy history was changed.
Rock was presenting the award for Best Documentary Feature when he made a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, and pointed out her shaved head (which was a result of alopecia). “Jada, I love you. G.I. Jane 2, can’t wait to see it, all right?” he said.
Not long after, Smith approached the stage, walked up to Rock, and slapped him across the face. The audience was stunned, Rock even more so, and Smith was given a ban from attending future Oscar ceremonies.
Is Will Smith still banned from the Oscars after the slap?
Yes, Will Smith is still banned from the Oscars and all Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences events, and will be until 2032 under a 10 year term.
After Smith slapped Rock, he returned to his seat and twice called out, “Keep my wife’s name out your f**king mouth!”
In response, Rock shouted back, “It was a G.I. Jane joke!”
Prior to the slap, Smith could be seen in the audience laughing at Rock’s monologue, while Pinkett Smith looked unimpressed. Afterwards, Rock then resumed presenting the award and the night continued as planned. (Rock reportedly declined to file a police report after the incident.)
During the commercial breaks, other attendees such as Bradley Cooper, Denzel Washington, and Tyler Perry were seen approaching and talking to Smith after the slap.
Later in the evening, Smith ended up winning the award for Best Actor for his role in King Richard. “Art imitates life,” he said in his acceptance speech. “I look like the crazy father, just like they said about Richard Williams. But love will make you do crazy things.”
ABCHe also apologized to the Academy and fellow attendees in his speech, but not Rock. The following day, he released an official apology on social media to Rock and the Academy.
“I’ve reached out to Chris and the message that came back is that he’s not ready to talk and when he is, he will reach out so I will say to you Chris, I apologise to you. My behavior was unacceptable and I’m here whenever you’re ready to talk,” he said.
On April 1, Smith resigned from his Academy membership, and was banned from attending any Academy events for 10 years.
“The Board has decided, for a period of 10 years from April 8, 2022, Mr. Smith shall not be permitted to attend any Academy events or programs, in person or virtually, including but not limited to the Academy Awards,” they said in a statement.
This doesn’t stop him from attending other award ceremonies outside of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, though. In 2025, he made his first public awards appearance since the 2022 incident at the Grammys.
He’s not the only person banned from the Oscars
Will Smith isn’t the only person to have been banned from attending the Oscars – in fact, the list includes several big names, including Richard Gere and Harvey Weinstein.
Here’s everyone who’s been banned from the Oscars:
- Richard Gere (20 years)
- Carmine Caridi (For life)
- Bill Cosby (Lifetime)
- Roman Polanski (Lifetime)
- Harvey Weinstein (Expelled)
- Adam Kimmel (Expelled)
- Will Smith (10 years)
Gere was given a 20-year ban after the 1993 ceremony, in which he gave a controversial political speech while presenting the award for Best Art Direction. He referred to the “horrendous, horrendous human rights situation” in Tibet, and called out Deng Xiaoping, the leader of the Chinese Communist Party.
ABCHowever, Gere was then invited back for the 2003 ceremony, since the musical he starred in, Chicago, was nominated for several awards. He was also brought back as a presenter in 2013, which would have been the final year of his ban.
Carmine Caridi, who starred in The Godfather Part II and Part III, was given a lifetime ban in 2004 for illegally distributing copies of VHS screeners for that year’s nominees.
The Academy can also ban people in accordance with their standards of conduct and “ethical standards”, which is why Bill Cosby, Roman Polanski, Harvey Weinstein, and Adam Kimmel were all expelled or given lifetime bans. (All four were accused of or convicted of sex crimes.)
Comparatively, Smith’s ban from the Academy is the shortest yet.
For more, check out the 2025 Oscar nominations & winner predictions for every category. You can also see what’s the biggest Oscars 2025 snub. Or, learn more about the controversy surrounding I’m Still Here star Fernanda Torres.