Academy members have praised Chris Rock for the way he handled Will Smith slapping him at the Oscars.
The atmosphere in the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles went cold when Will walked on stage and slapped the comedian in a row over a joke Chris had made about Will's wife Jada Pinkett Smith.
Will has since resigned from The Academy, and now members have decided to ban him from the ceremonies for the next 10 years, with the decision sitting well with some of those involved in the Academy.
Carol Connors, who sits on the music branch, said: "He’s not going to be able to present next year, and I think hurray for that. I don’t think he should be allowed on the Academy stage. What he did on the world stage was unacceptable. Ten years is an important round number. I don’t think it should have been one year or five years. Ten is appropriate."
She said she was pleased that Will would not return to present an award next year, as the Best Actor award winner is usually asked to do so after collecting the top prize at the ceremony the previous year.
She added: "But I’m glad he will not present next year, after what he did. What if Chris would have fallen down and hit his head? The one guy is what, 140 pounds soaking wet, and the other guy played Muhammad Ali. Can you imagine what must have gone through Chris’ mind at that moment? And I think he handled it with great dignity."
Stephen Potter, of the sound branch of the Academy, also praised Chris' reaction to what happened.
He told The Hollywood Reporter: "I have to say I’m surprised at the Academy’s formal response of a 10-year ban on Mr. Smith, which is harsher than I imagined it would be. Ten years is quite a long time. Mr. Rock maintained composure under very unexpected circumstances, and I applaud him for averting what could have been a total disaster. I believe Mr. Smith’s reaction was fuelled by Ms. Pinkett Smith’s glaring look, and it’s unfortunate he chose to react as he did. The opinions are split between those who do and don’t support Mr. Smith’s actions, but the fact remains this incident was very unfortunate on many levels."
