Will Smith 'Refused' To Leave The Oscars & The Academy Says It Could've Acted 'Differently'

The Academy says it could've done more to deal with Will Smith after he slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars, although there's still a chance that it will punish the actor in the coming weeks.

The Academy's board of governors held an emergency meeting to discuss the infamous slap on Wednesday, and they later described the incident in a statement as "deeply shocking and traumatic."

The Academy said it has begun "disciplinary proceedings" against Smith for the slap, which played out in front of millions of TV viewers around the world.

It also issued an apology to Chris Rock.

"We apologize to you for what you experienced on our stage and thank you for your resilience in that moment," read the statement that the Academy released to the media.

"Things unfolded in a way we could not have anticipated," the statement said.

"While we would like to clarify that Mr. Smith was asked to leave the ceremony and refused, we also recognize we could have handled the situation differently."

Smith slapped Rock on stage after Rock made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith's baldness, which is a result of a medical condition.

Will Smith was awarded the Best Actor Oscar less than an hour after the slap, and he used his moment on stage to deliver a tearful speech about defending family and doing "crazy" things out of love.

He also apologized to the Academy and his fellow nominees in the speech, but he did not apologize to Rock until early this week.

The Academy said that Smith violated its rules around inappropriate physical contact and abusive or threatening behaviour.

The statement added that the actor has been given "15 days' notice" about a vote regarding his "violations and sanctions," and that he will be allowed to explain himself via a written response before a decision is made.

He could be sanctioned, suspended or expelled from the Academy on April 18, depending on how things go.