Will Smith won his first Oscar Award last month. Now, he must wait another decade to attend the Academy Awards again. The 53-year-old actor learned today of the Recording Academy’s punishment for stepping on stage from the audience to deliver a blow to presenter Chris Rock on March 27. The incident followed Rock making a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. After returning to his seat, the actor shouted a warning with expletives at Rock during the live broadcast. Initially planned for April 18, a meeting was expedited 10 days amid a media storm which has included a Will Smith apology, brief comments from Rock, and more.

“For a period of 10 years from April 8, 2022, Mr. Smith shall not be permitted to attend any Academy events or programs, in person or virtually, including but not limited to the Academy Awards,” wrote Academy President David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson in a letter obtained by People magazine.

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“During our telecast, we did not adequately address the situation in the room. For this, we are sorry,” the letter added. “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.”

The letter continued, “We want to express our deep gratitude to Mr. Rock for maintaining his composure under extraordinary circumstances. We also want to thank our hosts, nominees, presenters and winners for their poise and grace during our telecast.” It added, “This action we are taking today in response to Will Smith’s behavior is a step toward a larger goal of protecting the safety of our performers and guests, and restoring trust in the Academy. We also hope this can begin a time of healing and restoration for all involved and impacted.”

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The New York Times reports, “The Academy declined to elaborate on whether Mr. Smith remains eligible to be nominated for Oscars, but two industry figures with knowledge of its rules and who were granted anonymity to discuss academy proceedings said that Mr. Smith is still eligible to win Oscars but cannot attend the Academy Awards ceremony and other events.”

In response, Smith commented through his reps: “I accept and respect the Academy’s decision.” On April 1, Will Smith resigned from the Academy after winning “Best Actor” for his title role in King Richard.

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#BonusBeat: The incident was discussed, in brief, at the top of the latest episode of Ambrosia For Heads’ What’s The Headline podcast: