The Slap-termath: Will Smith Resigns From Academy

Photo Courtesy of Instagram (@willsmith)

Will Smith announced in a statement Friday that he has resigned from the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences.

According to LA Times, the resignation letter read:

“The list of those I have hurt is long and includes Chris, his family, many of my dear friends and loved ones, all those in attendance, and global audiences at home,” the statement said. “I betrayed the trust of the Academy. I deprived other nominees and winners of their opportunity to celebrate and be celebrated for their extraordinary work. I am heartbroken.”

Academy President David Rubin confirmed that Smith’s resignation had been accepted. In a brief statement Friday, Rubin added: “We will continue to move forward with our disciplinary proceedings against Mr. Smith for violations of the Academy’s Standards of Conduct in advance of our next scheduled board meeting on April 18.”

The decision means that Smith, 53, will no longer be a voting member of the Academy. However, he will still retain his Oscar for best actor, can be nominated for future consideration by the Academy, and can still be invited to future ceremonies.

President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, David Rubin, confirmed that the Academy had “received and accepted” Smith’s resignation in a statement to NBC News. However, disciplinary proceedings against the actor for violating the standards of conduct will still occur during the Academy’s upcoming board meeting on April 18.

Smith’s resignation came days after he slapped

Chris Rock during the Oscars ceremony on Sunday for poking fun at his wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s medical condition, Alopecia.

In a post on Instagram on Monday evening following the Oscars, Smith apologized for his actions.

“Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada’s medical condition was too much for me to bear, and I reacted emotionally,” he wrote.

“I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line, and I was wrong. I am embarrassed, and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness.” Smith added in his post, “Violence in all forms is poisonous and destructive.”

He also included in his note an apology to “the Academy, the producers of the show, all the attendees and everyone watching around the world,” as well as the family of tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams and those involved with the film for which he won his best actor award on Sunday.

“I deeply regret that my behavior has stained what has been an otherwise gorgeous journey for all of us,” he wrote. “I am a work in progress.”