Actor and member of the Motion Picture Academy Harry Lennix said Will Smith should 'voluntarily' return his Oscar to restore 'national conscience.'
at the 94th Oscars last month and slapped Rock on the face after he made a joke about a sequel to"G.I Jane" and his wife's, Jada Pinkett Smith, bald head. Will Smith, right, hits presenter Chris Rock on stage while presenting the award for best documentary feature at the Oscars on Sunday, March 27, 2022, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. Will Smith yells at Chris Rock from his seat at the Oscar's after physically assaulting him on stage on Sunday, March 27, 2022.
"I wanna apologize to the Academy. I wanna apologize to all my fellow nominees," he said."This is a beautiful moment and I'm not crying for winning an award. It's not about winning an award for me, it's about being able to shine light on all of the people." Smith resigned from the Academy and was later banned from attending Oscar award ceremonies for a decade.
Lennix argued the slap"will gnaw away at our national conscience" unless Smith returns his Academy Award, adding that the ban on him attending future Oscars is a"toothless penalty" comparable to an"extended time out for a playground bully.""With one deft blow, Will Smith created an existential crisis for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences," Lennix said.