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[hlthe2b]

1. So, we have until April 18th before this starts up all over again?

sigh...

[cstanleytech]

2. Not sure if I would strip him of it as he did earn it.

Now what I might see them doing is banning any production he is a part of for anywhere from 5 to 10 years from being nominated for any awards.

[unblock]

5. Not sure the academy needs to explicitly do this.

I don't think he'll ever get the votes to win another award.

[regnaD kciN]

13. There's no way they can do this...

...and, if they tried, would probably lose a lawsuit challenging it.

My suspicion will be that they'll suspend him for a year. That will mean they avoid the biggest problem, which is that the Best Actor winner is supposed to present the next year's Best Actress award..

[unblock]

3. Whatever case they may have had for trespassing is completely undermined by

them allowing him onstage to accept an award.

The assault was appalling and I think some punishment from the academy is the least of the consequences he deserves.

But the trespassing argument is very weak due to the way the academy handled, or rather didn't handle, the situation.

[unblock]

9. Maybe someone from the audience has it on their cell phone

But the academy likely would have done that as discreetly as possible.

Given how poorly -- I would say negligently -- addressed the situation, I doubt they thought to get a recording of it.

Makes me wonder if they even had security at all.

[Wingus Dingus]

4. They didn't protect or support their host (Rock) at all.

Smith acted like he owned the place. I guess he did. I guess they're lucky he didn't stab or beat Rock to death.

[regnaD kciN]

14. Here's the biggest irony of the whole thing...

There's a real question of whether Rock went way over the line in making fun of a woman with a medical condition -- I've seen it described as "verbal bullying." (Of course, there's also an open question over whether he even knew of her condition.) But the upshot of Smith's assault is that the person he struck for "attacking my wife," and who may well have been deserving of criticism for doing so, has become the victim/hero of the incident, being defended by the Academy and praised for keeping his cool, taking the blow without flinching, and continuing on with the presentation.

[eissa]

18. Had he addressed this afterwards

in either his speech or social media, by saying how hurtful that joke was, Rock would have been almost universally vilified. Instead, he took a joke that everyone would have forgotten 20 seconds later and immortalized it, making himself and his family the butt of every comedian's jokes for a long time to come. Rock has come out as not only the victim, but someone who maintained his dignity after a humiliating attack.

[BidenRocks]

7. Assault and Battery

He gets away with it and he isn't even a trump.
WTF?!!

[SoCalDavidS]

8. They Asked Him?

I have a hard time believing they couldn't have had security escort him out, had they really wanted him gone.

"Hey Will, Could You Please Leave?"

"No?"

"O.K."

[regnaD kciN]

12. That's the big question...

Normally, if someone hits someone else at a bar, they don't just ask him to leave and let it slide if he refuses -- they send in the bouncer or call the cops. And you can't convince me that there wasn't a single LAPD officer at the event.

[LisaL]

19. Did they actually ask him?

Wouldn't people approaching him after the attack be on video?

[eissa]

20. There was some video of a woman speaking to him

But others at the time said she was his publicist. Now I wonder if it may have been a member of the Academy.

[PatSeg]

10. Welcome to DU!

[eissa]

11. It's good that they've at least come out with a more forceful statement

I think as time passes and people process the event more clearly, it's beyond evident that the assault Smith committed that evening had wide-range repercussions: on their presenter who was not better protected, on their ceremony that was tarnished, and on all the winners post-slap who had their moment overshadowed by the violent, selfish act of a narcissistic asshole.

I highly doubt he will be stripped of his award. More than likely he will be banned from future ceremonies.

[Dr. Strange]

16. Yep.

I highly doubt he will be stripped of his award. More than likely he will be banned from future ceremonies.

This seems like the right way to go about it.

[Cha]

15. Apparently thinking he's such

a big shot.. not accountable for his own actions.

💙💛

[3825-87867]

17. The New Norm

America - early 21st Century. Notable people can do as they please with minimal to no repercussions.