The startling hypocrisy of the Academy’s reaction to Will Smith’s infamous slap.

For as long as the entertainment business has been around, Hollywood has been a place where the rich and powerful become even more rich and powerful by profiting off the exploitation of the vulnerable. From Hollywood producers pumping the still-teenage Judy Garland full of drugs so she could work work without rest, to the horrifying sexual assaults at the hands of powerful men such as Harvey Weinstein and Bill Cosby, Hollywood has shown that it a place that eschews morality in the name of entertainment — rewarding abusers with trophies and movie deals. 

Hollywood and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences continually perpetuate cycles of abuse by showering accolades on horrible men who have proven to be abusive, yet somehow are still able to have successful careers. So why are they suddenly up in arms over something as seemingly insignificant as a slap?

Unless you’ve been living under a rock since March, you probably know about the infamous Will Smith Oscars slap, where Smith walked onstage and slapped comedian Chris Rock after a distasteful joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s hair. This came with its share of controversy, considering Pinkett Smith’s recent and public battle with alopecia. 

Celebrities and viewers immediately took to social media, slamming Will for his violent reaction and touting the sanctity of the Awards. Hollywood darling Zoë Kravitz quickly fell from grace for her backhanded post about the slap, captioned “Here’s a picture of my dress at the award show where we are apparently assaulting people on stage now” and a subsequent tweet reading “and here is a picture of my dress at the party after the award show – where we are apparently screaming profanities and assaulting people on stage now.” 

After her tweets went live, Twitter jumped to Will’s defense, unearthing quotes from 2013 when Kravitz made comments about Will’s son, Jaden Smith. “There were moments that I was hanging out with Jaden and thinking, I can’t believe you’re 14, I have to check myself, like what I say to you,” she remarked when asked of her opinion on Jaden during a V Magazine interview.  Kravitz, who was beloved by many, is now being accused of predatory behavior toward Jaden.

Nearly a month later, Twitter remains divided. Some claim that Will was clearly out of line, while others point out the hypocrisy of him being criticized for interrupting a ceremony thrown by an academy that has so often protected abusers and pedophiles. After the incident, Smith voluntarily resigned from the Academy. Two of his upcoming movies, “Bad Boys 4” and “Fast and Loose,” were put on hold. 

After Will slapped Rock, he received the award for Best Actor. When the dust settled, however, it was announced that he was banned from the Academy for 10 years. Will’s incredible acting, as well as years of involvement in the Academy, are apparently meaningless now after one misstep, despite the fact that Rock did not press charges against him. So why, when abusers such as Roman Polanski were allowed to flee the country to evade pedophilia charges — and receive awards for years before being banned — is the Academy cracking down so hard on a man who was defending his wife from a tasteless joke about her disability? 

For the Academy to now feign morality and act like they have a higher ground to stand on when simultaneously critiquing Willis particularly hypocritical considering abusers — those who have done far worse than slap someone — have been receiving awards for years from the same organization.

Hollywood is a famed place where dreams come true, if, in fact, you are young and beautiful and willing to sell your soul for a movie deal. Behind the silver screen, locked doors and closed curtains shelter an organization full of powerful predators who keep their proclivities secret by covering for each other and flaunting their notoriety to silence victims. 

If you are lucky enough to be a woman invited to a Hollywood elite party, you are subjected to people such as Weinstein, Cosby, R. Kelly and Polanski, all formerly beloved famous men who hid behind their status and were protected and revered by the Academy for years. Weinstein was accused of assaulting and abusing an underage girl and continued to receive awards until 2014. In 2003, Polanski was awarded the Oscar for Best Director in front of a roomful of Hollywood elite, cheering and clapping delightedly for him despite the fact he was out of the country evading pedophilia charges.

The list of accused or convicted predators in Hollywood is seemingly ever-growing; this culture of toxicity and immorality is perpetuated by the continued reverence of men such as Cosby, who was a cultural icon for years despite being accused of sexual assault and misconduct by 60 women. 

The Academy has proven time and again that wrongdoing and illegality are meaningless to them, as the list of abusers and predators still active in Hollywood is long. Rewarding abusers and pedophiles while simultaneously demonizing Smith goes to show that immorality is acceptable in Hollywood as long as it doesn’t interfere with a sacred event such as the Academy Awards.