The Academy claims they tried to skop Will Smith out of the Oscars, but he refused.
The King Richard actor had walked onto stage and klapped Chris Rock in response to a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, and had been allowed to stay and receive his Best Actor award.
“While we would like to clarify that Mr Smith was asked to leave the ceremony and refused, we also recognise we could have handled the situation differently,“ they said.
The Academy called Will’s behaviour “deeply shocking” and apologised to guests, viewers and Chris, 57, for showing “resilience in the moment”.
The Academy confirmed that the Board of Governors started disciplinary proceedings to decide what the 53-year-old actor’s straf should be.
According to the statement, Will violated “the Academy's Standards of Conduct, including inappropriate physical contact, abusive or threatening behaviour, and compromising the integrity of the Academy”.
Punishment could include suspension, expulsion or being banned from Academy events, such as future Oscars ceremonies, or a “public reprimand”.
A meeting is scheduled for 18 April and the actor will be given the opportunity to provide a written response to defend himself before a final decision is made.
Will offered a public apology to Chris on Monday, saying: “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.”
Meanwhile, Chris has spoken about the incident for the first at a comedy show in Boston on Wednesday.
He jokingly asked the audience, “How was your weekend?”
Following laughter, he shared, “I don’t have a bunch of s*** to say about what happened, so if you came to hear that, I have a whole show I wrote before this weekend.”
He added: “I’m still kind of processing what happened.
“So, at some point I’ll talk about that s***. And it will be serious and funny.”
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