Will Smith responds to 10-year Oscars ban after Chris Rock slap

Will Smith’s action at the Oscars has shocked Hollywood. Photo: AFP

Will Smith has been barred from attending the Oscars for 10 years by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences after slapping comedian Chris Rock at the event last month.

The group stopped short of taking away his best actor award, which he won for King Richard. Smith accepted that trophy at the Dolby Theatre on March 27, shortly after smacking Rock for making a joke about his wife’s short hair. Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, suffers from alopecia, a disease that causes hair loss.