Will Smith Refused to Leave When Academy Asked Him to Leave Oscars

The Academy wanted Will Smith to leave the Oscars, but he stuck to his guns.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences fired off a letter Wednesday stating that their Board of Governors has begun proceedings against Will for violating their Standards of Conduct.

Things unfolded in a way we could not have anticipated. We would like to clarify that Mr. Smith was asked to leave the ceremony and refused, but we also know we could have handled the situation differently.

It is shocking since the Academy and show producers have been criticized for allowing Will to stay until his Best Actor category was announced.

They say that Mr. Smith is being provided at least 15 days notice of a vote regarding his violations and sanctions.

The Board will have a decision on his punishment at their next meeting on April 18.

One final note from them on what Will did was that it was a deeply shocking, traumatic event to witness in-person and on television. We apologize to Mr. Rock for what he experienced on our stage and thank him for his resilience in that moment. We apologize to our nominees, guests and viewers for what transpired during the event.

When did they approach him about beating it, and how much did they insist?