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Actor and rapper Will Smith could lose his first Oscar for slapping comedian Chris Rock on stage during the live show on Sunday, March 27 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
"The Academy does not condone violence of any form," the organization tweeted early Monday.
The Philadelphia native accepted his first Academy Award for his role as Richard Williams, the father of famed tennis players, Venus and Serena Williams, in the 2021 film "King Richard."
However, due to the academy's strict guidelines, a live assault on Rock, formerly of Alpine, NJ, captured minutes earlier, may force Smith to return his Award of Merit statuette.
"It upholds its values of respect for human dignity, inclusion, and a supportive environment that fosters creativity," according to the Academy's code of conduct, which was last updated in 2017.
If any member is accused of having been noncompliant, "the Board of Governors may take any disciplinary action permitted by the Academy's bylaws, including suspension or expulsion," reads the statement tweeted by New York Times reporter Brook Barnes.
Smith slapped Rock after he made a joke about Smith's wife and Baltimore native Jada Pinkett Smith's shaved head.
"Keep my wife's name out your f---ing mouth," Smith yelled twice after returning to take his seat in the audience.
Pinkett-Smith has been open about her struggle with alopecia, an autoimmune disorder that attacks hair follicles and causes hair loss.
A new comment on Will Smith's Instagram post from before the award show reads: "You can’t invite people from Philly or Baltimore nowhere!!"
The LAPD confirmed to The Post that no charges have been filed in the incident.
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