Will Smith Was Asked To Leave After Oscars Slap But He Refused, Academy Says

The newest chapter of the Will Smith/Chris Rock drama at the Oscars has unfolded. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said that Smith was asked to leave the venue after he struck Rock on stage, but the Independence Day star refused, according to the Associated Press. TMZ's sources, meanwhile, say this is not the case and that Smith was told by a producer that he could stay. Some said Smith could stay and others wanted him gone, according to the report.

"There were various discussions during several commercial breaks, but they never reached a consensus," TMZ reported.

Smith, who has publicly apologized to Rock and the Academy, is facing potential disciplinary action. The Academy's board met this week to begin discussions about punishing Smith for violating its conduct standards. Smith could be suspended or expelled from the Academy, or face other sanctions, the group said. Harvey Weinstein, Roman Polanski, and Billy Cosby are among the very small group of people to have been expelled from the Academy.

"Things unfolded in a way we could not have anticipated," the Academy said. "While we would like to clarify that Mr. Smith was asked to leave the ceremony and refused, we also recognize we could have handled the situation differently."

A spokesperson for the Academy did not elaborate on how it attempted to get Smith to leave the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on Sunday. Smith walked onto stage and struck Rock after Rock delivered a joke about Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.

About an hour later, Smith returned to the stage to accept his Best Actor award for King Richard, with many in the audience giving him a standing ovation.

Smith apologized on Instagram, saying Rock's joke about Jada Pinkett Smith's medical condition was "too much to bear and I reacted emotionally." Smith also apologized to Rock, acknowledging, "I was out of line and I was wrong." It's unknown if Smith and Rock have spoken in person after the event, however. Smith apologized to the Academy, too.

As for Rock, he performed standup in Boston on Wednesday night, his first public appearance since Sunday's drama at the Oscars. He was greeted by standing ovations that lasted about two minutes, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Rock didn't specifically address the Oscars drama, saying he is still "kind of processing what happened." However, he said one day he'll have more to say. "At some point I'll talk about that sh**. And it'll be serious, and it'll be funny."

Coda won Best Picture at the 94th Academy Awards, but Dune was the biggest winner of the night overall, taking home six awards in total. This year's Academy Awards reached 16.6 million people on TV, the second-lowest total in the history of the show after last year's worst result of all time.