Will Smith

[cancan]

Apr 8, 2022 16:02:54 GMT -4 cabbagekid said:

I’m surprised the ban was 10 years, I’m actually surprised they banned him at all. I think I got so used to nothing happening to the people who did far worse things and nothing really happened to them in the industry.

I thought, at most, Will would get a 3-5 year “can’t attend Academy Awards” type ban.

I guess the difference was Will did the crime during the most prestigious night for the Academy and did it in front of millions of people. Is that the line in the sand then?

Same.
Does a 10-year ban seem reasonable after assaulting someone on stage? Yes.
Does a 10-year ban seem reasonable in the context of Polanski, C.Affleck, Weinstein, et al? No.

[lordofthefries]

Apr 8, 2022 16:05:30 GMT -4 cancan said:

Does a 10-year ban seem reasonable after assaulting someone on stage? Yes.
Does a 10-year ban seem reasonable in the context of Polanski, C.Affleck, Weinstein, et al? No.

I think it's reasonable even in that context. The Academy isn't responsible for and isn't in a position to litigate offenses that happened well outside their jurisdiction. It's important to note that Smith can still get nominated for and win an Oscar, should that be the way the votes go.

[cremetangerine82]

Both Polanski and Weinstein were expelled as members from the AMPAS, so their punishment is sufficiently harsh because of their heinous acts.

Casey Affleck didn’t return in 2018 after his win to hand out the Best Actress Oscar, which definitely was appropriate in regards to his actions and after the #MeToo movement gained steam in late 2017.

I’m glad Will is getting a punishment for his actions, which were disrespectful to everyone involved on an internationally televised live event. For those who won that night, very few people are discussing anything but The Slap^TM.

I’m disappointed he can still be nominated during his 10-year suspension or have a comeback appearance at the Oscars in 2032.

[Ginger]

Aug 2, 2006 23:33:34 GMT -4 cabbagekid said:

I guess the difference was Will did the crime during the most prestigious night for the Academy and did it in front of millions of people. Is that the line in the sand then?

It should be!

If Will ran into Chris Rock at 7-11 and attacked him, it's none of the Academy's business. This is only their business because it happened at their event.

I don't think the Academy should be going around sanctioning members for personal misbehavior. Where would it end? The Academy has expelled a handful of egregious offenders. I personally don't think that it is a weapon that they should be wielding liberally.

[Binky]

I was genuinely expecting like a 1 year ban. I wonder if there was even any discussion of requiring him to complete an anti-violence program. I wish he had that imposed. It would be acknowledging that not only was he inappropriate, but there is a route to improvement beyond just a punishment.

[esperanza]

I agree with the 10 year ban. But I am really feeling bad for him. I spent the last week being so angry with him for assaulting another man, taking away a special moment for many people, angry at the standing ovation, all of it. But watching the Instagram post really shows the dynamic between Will and Jada, and now I agree with those who said that while they don’t agree with what he did, they do understand the pressure and stress he maybe feeling at that time. Constantly hearing his wife put out all of their dirty laundry, saying that she never wanted to be married, saying how selfish he is throwing a surprise party for her, talking about her “entanglements,” all in public. I’m sure it took its toll, and I also agree that Chris was the easy target at the time. He simply snapped, all those years of being the good guy, being the safe black man for mainstream Hollywood, he snapped at the worst possible time.

And to be clear, Jada should never take the blame for what her husband did. He is an adult and he is responsible for his behavior. But I wish that all of her grievances about their marriage was not made so public. Frankly, he has more to lose with his career than hers, and I wonder if she ever stopped to think about how this information being made so public can do for him and his career, their relationship and their family. I really think this has been a huge factor on why he snapped that night.

And no I’m not saying that Jada should answer to Will and only do what will benefit him. All I’m saying is that maybe she could of shown a little more discretion when going so public with such personal things.

[dragonflie]

I've gotta say I disagree, I don't feel bad for him- certainly not any more than I feel for any grown ass millionaire man with virtually unlimited resources who assaults another person (perhaps triggered by some issue in their personal life?). I agree- his marriage looks to be toxic and unstable. This is true for a LOT of people. Jada may be a bully who treats him poorly... and? How is it that Chris Rock, who has talked several times about being bullied himself- has been able to stay composed and not slap/punch another colleague in the middle of a show? How is it that every other person ever in the history of awards shows has been able to compose themselves while being made fun of- even if they are in the midst of an unstable relationship or life circumstance?

The fact that he "snapped" - and that resulted in him assaulting another person- blatantly in front of a large crowd - knowing he was also on live tv in front of millions is next level bad behavior. Then, the fact that he danced the night away, never apologized to the person he assaulted, laughed it up, in fact, minutes later. That's where any sense of empathy or feeling sorry for him went right out the window for me. If a person truly "snaps" (not that I think this is a valid excuse) then afterwards they would feel remorse and apologize/remedy their actions. The only actions I saw from Smith seemed to come after he realized the repurcussions, not from true remorse.

[cremetangerine82]

Apr 9, 2022 0:20:53 GMT -4 dragonflie said:

I've gotta say I disagree, I don't feel bad for him- certainly not any more than I feel for any grown ass millionaire man with virtually unlimited resources who assaults another person (perhaps triggered by some issue in their personal life?). I agree- his marriage looks to be toxic and unstable. This is true for a LOT of people. Jada may be a bully who treats him poorly... and? How is it that Chris Rock, who has talked several times about being bullied himself- has been able to stay composed and not slap/punch another colleague in the middle of a show? How is it that every other person ever in the history of awards shows has been able to compose themselves while being made fun of- even if they are in the midst of an unstable relationship or life circumstance?

The fact that he "snapped" - and that resulted in him assaulting another person- blatantly in front of a large crowd - knowing he was also on live tv in front of millions is next level bad behavior. Then, the fact that he danced the night away, never apologized to the person he assaulted, laughed it up, in fact, minutes later. That's where any sense of empathy or feeling sorry for him went right out the window for me. If a person truly "snaps" (not that I think this is a valid excuse) then afterwards they would feel remorse and apologize/remedy their actions. The only actions I saw from Smith seemed to come after he realized the repurcussions, not from true remorse.

I concur with your post, dragonflie. I’m tired of seeing too many people on Twitter who are saying the punishment is too harsh, when somebody physically assaulted somebody on an internationally televised event! The 10-year suspension doesn’t preclude Will Smith from working on movies, and he’s still able to be nominated and possibly win another Oscar during it (though that could be doubtful).

It’s a sufficient punishment, and it’s also a deterrent to remind others that such egregious behavior won’t be repeated during another Oscars ceremony and overshadow the awards given that night. However, too many on social media are comparing Smith to Roman Polanski and Harvey Weinstein (who were expelled from AMPAS) or claiming another (admittedly still white-dominated) institution is “trying to bring a successful black man down” are false equivalencies.

I do wish the AMPAS does some more spring cleaning and expel Kevin Spacey, Mel Gibson, Casey Affleck, and Woody Allen.

[codert]

Is it really a punishment? The Oscar’s are long and boring. They did him a favor. Miss the ceremony and go straight to the parties. He won one Oscar. Really hard for a black actor to win 2. Lay low, live under a rock and get therapy. Life will go on.

[ahah]

I think the punishment is appropriate. It shows his is a serious offense while also acknowledging it’s not the worst offense. I think they did it right.

As for their marriage - if the snippets we see are accurate and Jada is truly that dismissive and manipulative of Will, I don’t buy that he’s a victim of her or deserves any sort of extended sympathy for the situation. He’s not financially dependent on her. Their kids are grown and not as dependent on a United family as young children would be. If he were that miserable, Will has the choice to leave, which is a choice many people in miserable marriages don’t feel they have due to financial concerns. Seeing marriage as forever and not something to walk away from is admirable and respectable. But it’s also a choice. Will has more choices than many people do.