Ricky Gervais, Piers Morgan and Janice Dean respond to the Will Smith Oscars ban

Greg P. | 6:40 AM on April 09, 2022

Just to follow up on our post from Friday, it appears that Will Smith is totally cool with his 10-year ban from the Oscars:

Will Smith Reacts to His 10-Year Ban From Oscars After Chris Rock Slap https://t.co/1dNuXMhu33

— E! News (@enews) April 8, 2022

From E! News:

In response to the ban, Smith shared in a statement to E! News, “I accept and respect the Academy’s decision.”

News of the ban comes one week after the 53-year-old resigned from the Academy, thereby forfeiting his ability to vote in future Oscars.

10 years is a long time. Does this seem manufactured to you? Like, Smith and the Academy agreed on this ban knowing that they’ll cut it short once the drama dies down.

Twitchy favorite Ricky Gervais is predicting as much, tweeting “Hopefully, he’ll only do 6 years with good behaviour”:

Hopefully, he'll only do 6 years with good behaviour. https://t.co/26Et5zsLWA

— Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais) April 8, 2022

And others are pointing out that the Academy doesn’t really look good here.

Piers Morgan tweeted, “It took the same Academy 40 years to ban Roman Polanski after he was convicted of raping a child”:

BREAKING: Will Smith banned by the Hollywood Academy, 12 days after he slapped Chris Rock.
It took the same Academy 40 years to ban Roman Polanski after he was convicted of raping a child.

— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) April 8, 2022

Here’s Meryl Streep giving child rapist Roman Polanski a standing ovation in 2003. Polanski won the directing Oscar that year, more than 25 years after he drugged and raped a 13 year-old. He was only kicked out of the Academy 4 years ago. This is what they stand for. pic.twitter.com/n5ybe7cYif

— Dagen McDowell (@dagenmcdowell) April 2, 2022

Woody Allen, you’re next:

So, tell me what did they do about Harvey Weinstein? What did they do about Woody Allen, and Roman Polanski?!? GTFOH ⁦@TheAcademy⁩. Come for a slap but not for serial sexual abuse that you celebrated?!? Have a fucking seat! #WokeAF
via @NYTimes https://t.co/2NkUJZjrsD

— Danielle Moodie (@DeeTwoCents) April 8, 2022

And here’s Janice Dean with a suggestion we would endorse: “Just cancel the whole darn show”:

Just cancel the whole darn show. https://t.co/v3YyPXjRE0

— Janice Dean (@JaniceDean) April 8, 2022

Hey, with the way ratings are going, will the Oscars even be televised when Smith’s ban is up?

Hollywood can still give each other awards— every day if they want. I just don’t think people are that interested in watching it anymore. It’s completely self indulgent and tone deaf.

— Janice Dean (@JaniceDean) April 8, 2022

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Too little too LATE? Academy banning Will Smith from Oscars ceremony for 10 years only makes THEMSELVES (and Will) look worse

Morbidly fascinating footage of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith might shed some light on Will’s apparent hostility issues