A comprehensive roster of personalities prohibited from attending the 2024 Oscars has been unveiled ahead of this Sundays 96th awards event.
The Oscars hold a status as the esteemed accolades, in the entertainment realm taking place annually in early March.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has compiled a register barring individuals who have contravened their standards, for grounds.
Below is a roster of prohibited celebrities:
Will Smith
At the 94th Academy Awards, while presenting the Oscar for Best Documentary at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Chris Rock made a jest about Pinkett Smith’s shaved head, likening it to Demi Moore’s bald appearance in the 1997 film G.I. Jane. Pinkett Smith, who suffers from alopecia, did not find the joke amusing.
In response, Smith strode onto the stage and delivered a forceful slap across Rock’s face with his right hand.
“Will Smith just smacked the s*** out of me,” remarked Rock from the stage after the blow.
Following the outburst, Smith returned to his seat beside his wife and shouted, “Keep my wife’s name out of your f***ing mouth!”
On April 8, it was announced that Smith was banned from the Oscars for 10 years for his actions, although he was permitted to retain his award for Best Actor.
Smith, aged 55, stated that he “accepted” and “respected” the academy’s decision to ban him from attending the awards ceremony, both in person and virtually.
Smith expressed his acceptance and respect for the Academy’s decision to ban him from attending the awards ceremony, both in person and virtually, for a duration of 10 years.
Harvey Weinstein faced expulsion from the Academy in 2017 amid a barrage of sexual abuse allegations. Subsequently, he was convicted of crimes spanning decades and received a 23-year prison sentence at Wende Correctional Facility in New York.
The once formidable media tycoon, aged 71, was found guilty of rape and two other counts of sexual assault during a trial in Los Angeles in December 2023, following a prior sentencing in 2020 for sex crimes in New York City.
In response, the Academy denounced Weinstein’s actions as “repugnant, abhorrent, and antithetical to the high standards of the academy and the creative community it represents.”
Additionally, Weinstein faced suspension from the British Academy Film Awards and was ousted from his production company.
Harvey Weinstein, 71, was banned from the academy in 2017 after his slue sexual abuse allegations
In 2018, actor and comedian Bill Cosby received a lifetime ban from the awards ceremony following his conviction for sexual assault.
Cosby, aged 86, was found guilty in April 2018 of drugging and sexually assaulting basketball coach Andrea Constand in 2004. He was sentenced to three to 10 years in prison, but served only three years before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned his conviction.
Released on June 30, 2021, Cosby was spotted for the first time since his release in April 2023, navigating New York City.
Following his conviction and ban from the show, the Academy issued a statement affirming its commitment to ethical standards that mandate members to uphold the values of respect for human dignity.
In 2018, following his conviction for sexual assault, Bill Cosby, aged 86, received a lifetime ban from the awards ceremony.
In 2021, cinematographer Adam Kimmel, aged 64, faced a lifetime ban from the Academy due to his history of sex crimes.
Having been arrested twice for statutory assault on minors, Kimmel was blacklisted by the Academy for violating their code of conduct.
Kimmel, known for his work on acclaimed films such as Capote, Never Let Me Go, and Beautiful Girls, is a registered sex offender. He pleaded guilty to raping a 15-year-old girl when he was 43 in 2003, prior to his successful Hollywood career.
Despite pleading guilty to rape the following year, Kimmel maintains that the sexual encounters were consensual, albeit with someone below the age of consent.
In 2018, French-Polish director Roman Polanski was permanently expelled from the Academy following his sexual encounter with a minor.
Carmine Caridi, renowned for his roles in “The Godfather Part II” and “Part III,” made history in 2004 as the inaugural individual permanently banned by the Academy. Sadly, Caridi passed away at the age of 85 in 2019. His expulsion stemmed from the illicit distribution of around 60 VHS tapes containing unreleased films to his acquaintance Russell Sprague. Following investigations by the FBI, Caridi faced legal action for copyright infringement from Sony and Warner Bros.
Following Sprague’s unfortunate demise from a heart attack amidst his legal battles, copies of the films found their way onto the internet. Caridi, after being exonerated of any legal wrongdoing, found himself at odds with the Academy, who upheld their decision to ban him for breaching his agreement to safeguard their screeners.
Richard Gere faced a similar fate in 1993 when he was banned from the Oscars for a span of 20 years. His transgression occurred during an unscripted moment in his speech, where he openly criticized the dire human rights situation in Tibet. Accompanied by his then-wife, supermodel Cindy Crawford, Gere also took the opportunity to address Deng Xiaoping, the leader of the Chinese Communist Party, further stirring controversy.
Richard Gere faced a 20-year ban from the Oscars in 1993 after deviating from his prepared speech to denounce the “horrendous, horrendous human rights situation” in Tibet. However, in 2003, the Academy reversed its decision, allowing the acclaimed actor to attend the ceremony as the musical “Chicago,” in which he starred, received nominations.
Returning to the Oscars stage in 2013 as a presenter, Gere humorously remarked to the Huffington Post that he felt “rehabilitated.” Reflecting on his journey, he quipped, “It seems if you stay around long enough, they forget they’ve banned you.”
