Variety awards editor urges the Academy, Will Smith and Chris Rock to directly apologize to Jada Pinkett Smith, Oscar hosts and many more.
Will Smith, Chris Rock and the Academy may feel they can turn the page on this dramatic chapter following the announcement that Smith would be banned from the ceremony for 10 years. But there’s too much reliance on written statements and not enough acknowledgment that multiple apologies are missing from all parties. For Smith, who won best actor for his performance as Serena and Venus Williams’ father in “King Richard,” an Instagram post saying he “accepts and respect the Academy’s decision” is not the type of penance the general public, the industry, your colleagues and co-stars are expecting. For Rock, he shouldn’t be gearing up to cash in for some standup comedy special about what happened, and his silence about his role in this ordeal has been deafening. For the Academy, an acknowledgement to Rock for not making the situation worse, or for not kicking Smith out of the room is only the tip of the iceberg for the radical changes that are needed within your organization to ensure the Oscars can survive until the end of Smith’s “10-year sentence.” However, Smith isn’t the only villain in this story. There isn’t even a “good guy” in this tale, only many people who made bad decisions. Smith has received his punishment, but that doesn’t absolve the Academy nor Rock’s responsibility and their need to make amends to more than one party. The road to redemption must include an acknowledgment of all the parties hurt and affected, making amends and putting certain practices in place to ensure lessons are learned and applied to prevent future mistakes. That list must include actress Jada Pinkett Smith, producer Joseph Patel, the Oscar hosts Regina Hall, Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes, the producers and staff of the telecast, and every viewer in attendance, and at home who were force-fed the revisionist history and messaging that came afterward. No more hiding behind surgically curated statements and tweets. It’s time to make direct amends with all hurt parties by Smith, Rock and the Academy. No one is standing tall after this year’s telecast. I’m not saying Smith’s punishment is not warranted, as walking up to a stage and slapping someone during a live telecast was beyond reprehensible. It’s not just the act of assault, but the stain on the legacy of the very few Black people who have won lead actor or actress statuettes in 94 years. Smith is only the fifth, and he’s now synonymous with what is arguably the craziest moment in the ceremony’s history. While some will look at the Academy’s ruling as excessive, and others say it doesn’t go far enough, the truth is there was little to no recourse for the Board of Governors, given Smith’s resignation from the Academy on April 1. As he is no longer a member, Smith was no longer subject to other censures or financial sanctions the Academy could levy. Rest assured, if he had still been an active member during Friday’s board meeting, expulsion from the Academy would have been a likely outcome, but perhaps with a shorter ban from future ceremonies. The calls for the Academy to “take back” the statuette, or for Smith to return it himself, are downright embarrassing. The ballots were in, and the votes were tabulated. There isn’t an “undo” feature for the Academy Awards, and if there was, it’s not certain a multiverse revisionist cross-correction of the 2021 best actor race would be at the top of the list. If Smith were to “return” it, then what? Do you re-engrave it with the names of Benedict Cumberbatch (“The Power of the Dog”) or Andrew Garfield (“Tick, Tick… Boom!”)? Indeed either of them becoming “Academy Award winner” with an asterisk (*) next to their name for the rest of time would not be fair to two people who had nothing to do with these events. What about the celebrities that have “refused” their Oscar but are still considered “winners?” Marlon Brando refused his statuette for “The Godfather” (1972), sending Sacheen Littlefeather in his place the same night that John Wayne reportedly had to be restrained by security guards because he was trying to charge the stage.
