Ricky Gervais has poked fun at the Academy’s decision to ban Will Smith from future Oscar ceremonies for the next 10 years.
The comedian, 60, took to Twitter on Friday and reshared the news of Will’s, 53, punishment, noting he’s likely to ‘do six years with good behaviour.’
Will, who has not been required to return his Academy Award for Best Actor, was given the ban after slapping Chris Rock on stage at last month’s ceremony, after he made a joke about his wife, Jade Pinkett Smith.
Opinions: On Friday, Ricky Gervais reacted to the Academy’s decision to ban Will Smith from future Oscar ceremonies for the next 10-years
Sharing an article announcing Will’s ban, Ricky wrote: ‘Hopefully he’ll only do 6 years with good behaviour’
The actor has been a prominent voice among celebrities in the aftermath of the Smith-Rock incident.
He has also hit out at people who have called Jada Pinkett Smith’s alopecia a ‘disability’ as he weighed in on Will Smith’s divisive Oscars slap.
The comedian reshared the news on Twitter and wrote: ‘Hopefully he’ll only do 6 years with good behaviour’
Ricky said Chris Rock‘s joke about Jada’s alopecia ‘wasn’t bad’ and described it as the ‘tamest joke’ he would have told as he spoke during a live Q&A session on Twitter.
He has been vocal in criticising Will, 53, for storming on stage during the 94th Academy Awards and slapping Chris after the stand-up comedian made a joke about his wife’s shaved head, comparing her to ‘G.I. Jane’.
Responding to people hitting out at Chris for making the joke, Ricky scoffed at social media users who have referred to alopecia, a hair loss condition, as a ‘disability’.
Opinions: Ricky has hit out at people who have called Jada Pinkett Smith’s alopecia a ‘disability’ as he weighed in on Will Smith’s divisive Oscars slap
‘Someone said it was joking about her [Jada’s] disability. Well I’m going a bit thin, so I’m disabled. That means I can park right up next to Tescos now,’ he quipped.
Letting out a laugh, he added: ‘And I’m fat, that’s a disease. I’m fat and balding, I should get f***ing benefits.’
The Office star went on to insist that Chris’s comment ‘wasn’t bad’ as he condemned Will for slapping the Oscars host for making a joke.
He said: ‘You don’t hit people over a joke, however bad it is. And it wasn’t bad!
‘That was like the tamest joke I would ever have told.’
Will has been banned from the Oscars for 10 years for slapping Chris, but will be allowed to keep his award for Best Actor.
In a statement, the Academy blasted Smiths ‘unacceptable’ and ‘harmful’ behavior that ‘overshadowed’ the entire evening.
‘During our telecast, we did not adequately address the situation in the room. For this, we are sorry. This was an opportunity for us to set an example for our guests, viewers and our Academy family around the world, and we fell short — unprepared for the unprecedented.
‘The Board has decided, for a period of 10 years from April 8, 2022, Mr. Smith shall not be permitted to attend any Academy events or programs, in person or virtually, including but not limited to the Academy Awards.
‘We want to express our deep gratitude to Mr. Rock for maintaining his composure under extraordinary circumstances. We also want to thank our hosts, nominees, presenters and winners for their poise and grace during our telecast.’
In a statement on Friday afternoon after the decision was reached, Smith told Deadline: ‘I accept and respect the Academy’s decision.’
He had already resigned from the Academy last Friday, taking the decision out of their hands to rescind his membership is it did with Harvey Weinstein. Smith’s wife Jada will still be allowed to attend in-person events.
The 54-person Board of Governors met on Friday morning after furious debate between its 9,000 members raged over the last 12 days in hundreds of WhatsApp groups.
The slap divided Hollywood and the public, with some insisting he should be stripped of his Oscar and not be rewarded for violence while others said dismissed it and mocked it on social media.
Will slapped Chris on-stage after the comedian made a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett-Smith’s shaved head. Pinkett-Smith has been open in the past about her struggles with alopecia.
After the slap, Smith returned to his seat and screamed ‘keep my wife’s name out of your f*****g mouth.’
He the then won the Oscar for Best Actor in his role as Richard Williams, in the film King Richard. He used his speech to apologize to the Academy and to Rock, and he later posted an apology on Instagram.
Chris has kept quiet on the issue, speaking out only to say he was ‘processing’ what happened.
Upset: Will gave a tearful apology when collecting his Oscar for Best Actor after the slap on March 27
