The Hollywood Academy said Wednesday that actor Will Smith refused to walk out of Sunday’s Oscars after punching presenter Chris Rock in the face.
The academy said it asked Smith to leave the ceremony, but the actor refused. The company also announced that it had initiated “disciplinary proceedings” against Smith for violating the Code of Conduct.
Shortly after the incident, Smith won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in King Richard.
Smith, who has already apologized for what happened, hit Rock after he made a joke about the shaved head of Jada Pinkett, actress, wife of Smith who suffers from hair loss.
“We asked Mr Smith to leave the ceremony and he refused, but we also recognize that we could have handled the situation differently,” the academy said in a statement.