Will Smith banned from attending the Oscars for 10 years for slapping Chris Rock on-air

• Will Smith has been banned from attending the Oscars for a decade, the Academy announced.
• Smith's ban comes after the actor slapped Chris Rock onstage at the March 27 Oscars ceremony.

Will Smith has been banned from attending any Academy events or programs — including the Oscars — for the next decade for slapping Chris Rock on-air during the 94th Academy Awards.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Friday in an open letter sent to Insider that Smith will be barred from attending "any Academy events or programs, in person or virtually, including but not limited to the Academy Awards."

In the letter, the Academy said the punishment is "a step toward a larger goal of protecting the safety of our performers and guests, and restoring trust in the Academy."

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Smith will be able to keep the Oscar he was awarded at the 2022 ceremony, and will remain "eligible for future Oscar nominations and wins."

"I accept and respect the Academy's decision," the actor said in a statement to CNN regarding his Oscars ban.

Representatives for Smith didn't immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.

The Academy's decision comes after Smith slapped Rock during the Oscars

Smith's ban comes after the "Men in Black" star hit Oscars presenter Chris Rock on live television.

The incident occurred during the March 27 broadcast of the prestigious awards show. As Rock was presenting the award for best documentary feature, he made a few jokes before announcing the winner — one of them referencing Pinkett Smith, and her bald head, which Pinkett Smith has said is due to hair loss from having the autoimmune disease alopecia.

Moments later, Smith walked onto the stage and hit Rock across the face. Smith then walked back to his chair next to his wife and yelled to a surprised Rock, "Keep my wife's name out of your fucking mouth!"

The "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" star went on to win the award for best actor (for his performance in "King Richard") shortly thereafter, and apologized to the Academy during his acceptance speech.

Smith later issued a formal apology to Rock on Instagram, saying his behavior was "out of line." The actor also resigned from the Academy amid the fallout, which led the Academy to launch a formal review into the incident.

Rock, for his part, has said he's "still processing what happened."