The governing body of the Oscars has pushed up the date of the meeting to determine sanctions on Will Smith after his on-stage slap of Chris Rock at the 94th annual awards ceremony last month.
"I am calling a board meeting for this Friday morning, April 8 at 9:00 PT, rather than the previously scheduled April 18 meeting, to address possible sanctions for Will Smith in response to his actions during the Oscars broadcast on March 27," Academy President David Rubin wrote in a letter obtained by CNN on Wednesday (April 6).
"The April 18 date was set in accordance with California law and our Standards of Conduct because our agenda included possible suspension or expulsion of Mr. Smith from membership," the letter added. "We were required to provide Mr. Smith notice 15 days prior to the board meeting at which such action might be taken, and also give him the opportunity to provide the board a written statement no less than five days prior to the meeting."
Since Will resigned from the Academy on Friday (April 1), the meeting could be moved up because expulsion or suspension were no longer an option.
"It is in the best interest of all involved for this to be handled in a timely fashion," Rubin added.
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