People underscored how quickly the Academy banned Smith from slapping him, criticizing how long it took them to oust embarrassed figures such as Bill Cosby, Harvey Weinstein and Roman Polanski, who had long been accused of sexual assault. Following the banning of Weinstein in 2017 and Cosby and Polanski in 2018, the Academy offered Polanski’s wife, Emmanuelle Seigner, an invitation to join the organization in 2018 (which she declined). TikTok user Sharika Soal posted a viral download, accusing Hollywood of allowing white celebrities to build careers without consequences. “I do not know if it is racism or classism, but it is blatant “and difficult to process,” Soal told BuzzFeed News. As a survivor of sexual assault by an adopted father, she said she was disgusted by the Academy’s lack of action against directors such as Woody Allen – who married his adopted daughter. “How can you punish a man who slapped someone on stage in an interpersonal confrontation, when there are whole TV productions praising violence and then there are men like Woody Allen who are literally pedophiles?” he said. “I do not understand it”. Dr. Courtney Baker, an African-American filmmaker and professor at the University of California, Riverside, believes the discrepancy between the Academy’s disciplinary action against Smith and others is due to the fact that the slap was televised. “The biggest problem for the Academy is this [the slap] “It happened on camera,” Baker told BuzzFeed News. “There were attacks, actions that were deeply dangerous, destructive and repetitive, but had the advantage that they were not made public and on camera at an event organized by Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. “This is the driving force behind the 10-year ban more than anything else.” But internet users shared other instances of misconduct that occurred on stage during the awards ceremony. Adrien Brody did not experience the heat of the Academy when he grabbed and kissed Halle Berry without her consent, while accepting the 2003 Academy Award for Best Actor. Barry later described her only thought at the time as “What the hell is going on?” »