The fall out from the most shocking moment of Sunday night's Oscars – in which Will Smith slapped Chris Rock on stage for making a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, continues. After apologizing to seemingly everyone else during his Best Actor Oscar acceptance speech, Smith has taken to Instagram to reach out to Rock.
Yet while the dust (up) appears to be settling – at least according to one Diddy, who told The New York Post's "Page Six" column that the two men had worked it out backstage – there are still likely to be ramifications for Smith, even if Rock didn't file legal charges.
The Academy, which briefly tweeted that it did not condone violence on the night, is now launching a formal review: “The Academy condemns the actions of Mr. Smith at last night’s show. We have officially started a formal review around the incident and will explore further action and consequences in accordance with our Bylaws, Standards of Conduct and California law.”
The results of that could include the actor being suspended from voting on or attending Academy events and possibly even being kicked out altogether – though it appears at this point that he'll hold on to his award for King Richard.
Yet his acting union, SAG-AFTRA, has also reacted: "As the union representing presenters and other performers working on the Oscars, SAG-AFTRA is focused on ensuring our members always work in a safe environment,” it said. "Violence or physical abuse in the workplace is never appropriate and the union condemns any such conduct.
“The incident involving Will Smith and Chris Rock at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable. We have been in contact with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and ABC about this incident and will work to ensure this behavior is appropriately addressed. SAG-AFTRA does not comment on any pending member disciplinary process."
Suffice to say, this will have an impact beyond the incident. Read up on the full Oscar night triumphs and turns in our report.