Oscars 2023: Academy President Janet Yang Is Okay With Will Smith Getting His Oscar Engraved, Says 'He Earned It'

The president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Janet Yang, has stated that Will Smith can have an engraved nameplate affixed to his best actor Oscar trophy, even though he was banned from Academy events for ten years following his altercation and slap controversy with Chris Rock during last year's ceremony.

Last month, almost one year after his infamous slap fiasco with Chris Rock at Oscars 2022, Will Smith, found some humour in the situation, although perhaps not completely.

In a TikTok duet video, Smith was seen listening attentively as a user named Sam Rossi, also known as Miss Money Working, shared the advantages of asking any inanimate object what it thinks of you. In the caption, Rossi suggested, that this approach works, "because everything has consciousness."

When Smith displayed his Oscar trophy, which he received last year for his portrayal in the movie King Richard, it was evident that it had not yet been engraved.

Usually, after the Oscars ceremony, winners go to the Governors Ball, where their nameplate is affixed to the trophy. However, Smith did not attend the ball last year due to his altercation with Rock during the ceremony and has since been barred from attending the Oscars and any Academy events for the next ten years.

On the latest episode of The Hollywood Reporter's Awards Chatter podcast, Yang said that if Smith requested his nameplate, she believes it should be engraved on his Oscar.

"He earned the Oscar. He should have his name engraved on it. I don't know if he should personally come. But yeah, we can arrange," she said.

Yang expressed her shock and disbelief when recalling the incident between Smith and Rock, saying "Truly, we were numb."

"Like everyone else, in the beginning when Will walks onto the stage, we're like, 'Oh, this is a funny bit. He is going to pretend he slaps him, and then Chris is going to act stunned,'" she added. "And then it was like, 'Ok, well that's over.' And then he goes back to his seat and then he starts shouting — that's when, of course, everyone said, 'Oh my God, this is real.'"

Yang mentioned that prior to her and Academy CEO Bill Kramer's tenure, Rock was approached about hosting again but declined. Last week, Rock discussed the altercation during his latest comedy special, Chris Rock: Selective Outrage, which was streamed live on Netflix.