Everyone who's been banned from the Oscars by the Academy

There are those that might call the Oscars a popularity contest, but one thing the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences does do is make sure that those who violate their code of conduct are no longer welcome.

On Friday, they announced their decision on how to respond to Will Smith's now infamous slap of Chris Rock at the 94th Academy Awards. As of April 8, 2022, Smith will be barred from attending all Academy events, in-person and virtual, for a period of 10 years, which includes the Oscars. This, however, will not impact his awards eligibility.

Smith, who had recently preemptively resigned his membership from the Academy, made a statement saying that he "respects and accepts" the decision.

Many speculated Smith could potentially be stripped of his Oscar, which he won the same night as the incident for his work in King Richard. But the Academy has no history of this action, and even those that they've expelled from their rank and file still have their Oscar trophies.

In fact, though there are those who have rejected their Oscars (Marlon Brando, Dudley Nichols), only one award has ever been revoked in Academy history — the 1969 prize for Best Documentary, which was given to Young Americans before it was determined that the film was released in 1967 and therefore ineligible.

But Smith is not the first to be disciplined by the Academy (though it is a relatively modern phenomenon). Here is everyone who has been expelled or punished by the Academy.

Carmine Caridi

Carmine Caridi (The Godfather: Part II; NYPD Blue) has the ignominious distinction of being the first-ever member of the Academy to be expelled. He was booted in 2004 for pirating screeners intended only for members to view and use for awards voting purposes. After allowing the screeners to be leaked to the internet, Caridi was banned from the organization.

Harvey Weinstein

The producer, who many credit with permanently transforming the Oscar race with his mercenary campaigning, was expelled in 2017, shortly after a litany of sexual assault allegations against him came to light. The Academy condemned Weinstein, calling his actions "repugnant, abhorrent, and antithetical to the high standards of the academy and the creative community it represents."

He still has his Oscars, which he received for producing Best Picture winners. But it was Weinstein's heinous actions that prompted the Academy to create a new code of conduct, which states that the Academy does not tolerate "people who abuse their status, power or influence in a manner that violates standards of decency."

Bill Cosby

When Bill Cosby was convicted in 2018 of drugging and sexually assaulting basketball player Andrea Constand, the Academy expelled him from their ranks only a month later.

Roman Polanski

Polanski was expelled at the same time as Cosby under the new code of conduct, but many considered this a hollow gesture, considering his membership had continued for years despite the allegations of sexual assault against him.

In 1977, Polanski fled to France after pleading guilty to unlawful sex with a minor. Despite that, he's still been nominated for Oscars multiple times (though Academy membership does not impact awards eligibility), even winning Best Director for The Pianist in 2003. Polanski has not been stripped of his awards, despite the fact that he was unable to attend these ceremonies due to being wanted by U.S. authorities and thereby being unable to enter the country without facing legal action.

Adam Kimmel

Cinematographer Adam Kimmel (Lars and the Real Girl, Capote) was expelled from the Academy in 2021 for his history as a sex offender. When it emerged that Kimmel had been arrested twice for statutory assaults on minors, he was removed from Academy membership for violating their code of conduct.

Related content:

• Academy bans Will Smith from Oscars ceremonies for 10 years
• Will Smith resigns from Academy after slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars
• Trevor Noah jokes about Will Smith's Oscars slap at the 2022 Grammys