Is Will Smith at the 2023 Oscars?

Cameron Frew
Will Smith tearful at the 2022 Oscars

Is Will Smith at the 2023 Oscars? The 95th Academy Awards is about to kick off, but will the actor return to the ceremony this year?

Last year’s Oscars were dominated by one story. Not CODA becoming the first movie from a streaming platform to win Best Picture, not Jane Campion joining the small echelon of female Best Director winners It wasn’t any one award win.

It was Slapgate, the now-infamous moment Will Smith took to the stage and slapped Chris Rock across the face after the comedian made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith.

The ensuing discourse polluted the news cycle for months, leading to Rock addressing the controversy in his recent comedy special – so, can viewers expect to see Will Smith tonight?

Is Will Smith at the 2023 Oscars?

No, Will Smith will not be at the Oscars tonight. He was banned by The Academy for 10 years, so he won’t be attending an Oscars ceremony any time soon.

In an earlier statement, The Academy described Smith’s behavior as “unacceptable and harmful.”

“The 94th Oscars were meant to be a celebration of the many individuals in our community who did incredible work this past year. However, those moments were overshadowed by the unacceptable and harmful behavior we saw Mr. Smith exhibit on stage,” the statement continued.

“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.”

Smith has apologized on multiple occasions, including in an emotional video posted to Instagram. “There is no part of me that thinks that was the right way to behave in that moment,” he said.

“There’s no part of me that thinks that’s the optimal way to handle a feeling of disrespect or insults.”

You can find our list of updated winners from the 2023 Oscars here.

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About The Author

Cameron is Deputy TV and Movies Editor at Dexerto. He's an action movie aficionado, '80s obsessive, Oscars enthusiast, and a staunch Scot. He earned a First-Class Honours Degree in Multimedia Journalism from Glasgow Caledonian University, accredited by the NCTJ and BJTC. He began his career at UNILAD, starting as a Junior Journalist and becoming Entertainment Editor prior to joining Dexerto. You can contact him at cameron.frew@dexerto.com.