WASHINGTON — When Hollywood gathers for the 95th Academy Awards on Sunday night, they hope to move past Will Smith slapping Chris Rock during last year's ceremony.
Because of last year's incident, Smith won't be in attendance Sunday and don't expect to see him at the Oscars anytime soon. He was banned by the film academy from attending for 10 years.
Will Chris Rock be at the Oscars?
It's not yet known whether Rock plans to attend the Academy Awards on Sunday night. Last summer, he revealed during a standup set that he declined an offer to host the 2023 Oscars. He reportedly said accepting the hosting gig would be like returning to the scene of a crime.
Last week, Rock finally spoke publicly about "the slap" during a stand-up special, streamed live on Netflix.
Who will present best actor?
Will Smith's absence leaves open the question of who will be the presenter for the best actor category.
Usually, the previous year's acting winners present the awards for best actor and best actress. But that won't be the case this time. Who'll replace Smith in presenting best actress is just one of the questions heading into the ceremony.
While Smith is banned from attending the Oscars, he is technically still eligible to be nominated for awards.
Who is banned from the Oscars?
According to Insider, six other men have previously been banned from attending the Oscars or expelled from the organization: Richard Gere, Carmine Caridi, Bill Cosby, Roman Polanski, Adam Kimmel and Harvey Weinstein.
Why was Richard Gere 'banned' from the Oscars?
The Hollywood star went off-script during the 1993 Oscars and denounced the Chinese government while onstage presenting an award. He reportedly received a 20-year ban, though the Academy's press office told GQ in 2007 that they "don't ban presenters" and "there's no such thing as a ban."
Gere did attend the 2003 show when "Chicago" won best picture and he was invited back as a presenter in 2013.
The "Pretty Woman" actor joked about the situation to Huffington Post in 2013, saying that "Apparently, I've been rehabilitated" and "It seems if you stay around long enough, they forget they've banned you."