Academy president admits response to Will Smith's slap was 'inadequate'

The president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has admitted the organisation's response to Will Smith's slap was "inadequate".

During last year's ceremony in March 2022, the Independence Day actor walked onto the stage of the Dolby Theatre and slapped presenter Chris Rock after he made a joke about Will's wife Jada Pinkett Smith.

After the shocking incident, Will returned to his seat and remained in the audience until he received the Best Actor Oscar for King Richard later in the show. Academy officials, who claimed Will was asked to leave the auditorium, later publicly condemned his actions and launched a formal review.

Amid the Oscars Nominees Luncheon on Monday, Academy president Janet Yang acknowledged they didn't handle the situation properly.

"What happened onstage was fully unacceptable and the response from our organisation was inadequate," she told attendees, according to Variety. "We learned from this that the Academy must be fully transparent and accountable in our actions, and particularly in times of crisis you must act swiftly, compassionately and decisively for ourselves and for our industry. You should and can expect no less from us going forward."

In the days after the slap, the Men in Black star resigned from the Academy and apologised for his behaviour. He spent several months out of the public eye and returned to promote the release of his movie Emancipation in December.

After the review, Academy officials revoked Will's membership and banned him from attending the ceremony for 10 years. In the announcement, then-president David Rubin and chief executive officer Dawn Hudson acknowledged they "did not adequately address the situation in the room".

The 2023 Academy Awards will take place at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on 12 March.