3 Celebrities Who Were Banned From the Oscars

Awards shows are meant to celebrate the biggest achievements in entertainment — but they’ve also become the stage for some of Hollywood’s most infamous controversies.

From shocking onstage moments to major scandals behind the scenes, several celebrities have found themselves at odds with the very institutions meant to honor them.

In some cases, the fallout has led to formal bans from major award ceremonies, including the Oscars.

Here are three stars who were banned by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Will Smith

Will Smith received one of the most high-profile bans in Oscars history following a shocking moment at the 2022 Academy Awards.

During the live broadcast, Chris Rock took the stage to present Best Documentary and joked about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, referencing her shaved head: “Jada, I love ya. G.I. Jane 2, can’t wait to see ya.”

Moments later, Smith walked onstage and slapped Rock across the face — a moment that stunned the audience and quickly went viral. After returning to his seat, Smith shouted for Rock to “keep my wife’s name out your f—ing mouth.”

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The Academy’s board of governors later reviewed the incident and announced disciplinary action. In April 2022, the organization revealed Smith would be barred from attending any Academy events or programs, including the Oscars, for 10 years.

In a statement, Smith said he accepted the ruling, writing: “I accept and respect the Academy’s decision.”

Harvey Weinstein

Harvey Weinstein was expelled from the Academy in 2017 after multiple allegations of sexual assault and misconduct surfaced.

The accusations became public through investigative reports published by The New York Times and The New Yorker — revelations that helped ignite the global #MeToo movement.

Shortly after the reports were published, the Academy’s Board of Governors voted — “well in excess of the required two-thirds majority” — to remove Weinstein from the organization.

In a statement at the time, the Academy said the decision was meant to send a message that the era of “willful ignorance and shameful complicity” surrounding sexual misconduct in the industry was over.

Weinstein was later convicted of rape and sexual assault in New York in 2020 and sentenced to 23 years in prison. He received an additional 16-year sentence in Los Angeles in 2023 for similar crimes.

Although a New York appeals court overturned his 2020 conviction in 2024, Weinstein remains imprisoned in California.

Bill Cosby

Bill Cosby was expelled from the Academy in 2018 following his sexual assault conviction.

In April of that year, the comedian was found guilty of drugging and sexually assaulting former Temple University employee Andrea Constand in 2004. Cosby was sentenced to three to 10 years in prison.

Less than a month after the conviction, the Academy’s Board of Governors voted to remove him from its membership, citing its Standards of Conduct and emphasizing the importance of respect for human dignity.

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The decision meant Cosby was no longer part of the organization responsible for the Academy Awards and could no longer participate in its activities.

Cosby’s conviction was overturned in June 2021 when the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that a previous agreement with prosecutors had been violated, leading to his release from prison. The Academy has not reinstated his membership.