Full list of celebs banned from Oscars 2024 as stars descend on Dolby Theatre
The full list of celebrities that have been banned from the Oscars 2024 has been released ahead of the 96th Academy Awards ceremony taking place tonight.
Stars will take to the red carpet later for the biggest night in the acting world at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, with TV host and comedian Jimmy Kimmel hosting. Big winners are tipped to be Oppenheimer, which has 13 nominations in total, including Cillian Murphy for Best Actor. Best Actress is likely to go to Emma Stone for her role in raunchy flick Poor Things or Lily Gladstone for her turn in Killers of the Flower Moon opposite Leonardo DiCaprio.
But did you know there is a ‘banned’ actor list in circulation that means some famous faces actually can’t attend the prestigious awards? This is for various breaches of the code of conduct. While some are more obvious, such as criminal convictions, others relate to the prohibited distribution of movies, going ‘off-script’ during speeches and who can forget the infamous moment Will Smith slapped Chris Rock on stage in 2022. Here’s every celebrity we know who is banned from the Oscars...
Will Smith
Who can forget that Oscars slap that got Will Smith from the awards banned for 10 years (Getty Images)It’s no surprise that Will Smith is top of this list after he slapped 2022 host Chris Rock across the face after the comic made a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s appearance. While hosting the ceremony on March 27 of that year, Chris joked: "Jada, I love you. GI Jane 2, can’t wait to see you," which referred to Jada's shaved head as a result of her alopecia.
Will told Chris to ‘keep my wife’s name out of your f***ing mouth’ before leaping out of his seat, walking up on stage, and slapping Chris, which left the comedian saying: "Wow! Wow. Will Smith just smacked the s*** out of me."
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At first, some thought the scene was scripted to increase ratings, but it later transpired it wasn’t and Will – who was allowed to stay in the audience and accept the Best Actor award that year for his role as tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams' father Richard in biopic King Richard – has now been banned from attending the awards for 10 years.
In a statement, the Academy said the Oscars had been ‘overshadowed by the unacceptable and harmful behaviour we saw Mr Smith exhibit on stage”. Smith has since apologised for his actions and resigned from the Academy meaning he is unlikely to make a future appearance at the awards even once his ban is lifted.
Richard Gere
Pretty Woman star Richard Gere was banned for 20 years in 1993 after going 'off script' during a speech (WireImage)
The Godfather actor Carmine Caridi became the first person to be permanently banned from the Oscars (WireImage)Richard Gere received a 20-year ban from the Oscars in 1993 after going ‘off-script’ as he took to the stage to present the Oscar for Best Art Direction category. The actor, most famous for his role in Pretty Woman, attended the awards with his then-supermodel wife Cindy Crawford.
A practising Buddhist himself, Richard went on to hit out at China’s conflict with the predominantly Buddhist region of Tibet and criticised the “horrendous, human rights situation”. He said at the time: “I wonder every day if we could send love, truth and sanity to [former Communist leader] Deng Xiaoping. Right now in Beijing, if maybe he will take his troops, get them out of Tibet and allow these people to go back to living as free, independent people.”
However, the controversial statement was deemed a step too far by the Academy. However, in 2003 the ban was briefly overturned when his film Chicago, also starring Renee Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones, received numerous awards. Then in 2013 – 20 years after his initial ban – he was welcomed back with the honour of presenting the awards. He told Huffington Post he had been “rehabilitated” and added: “It seems if you stay around long enough, they forget they’ve banned you.”
Carmine Caridi
Back in 2004, actor Carmine Caridi became the first person to be permanently banned from the Oscars for allegedly illegally circulating screener videotapes of future movies to his friend Russell Sprague.
The actor, most famous for his roles in The Godfather movies, was even investigated by the FBI for his crimes and slapped with an infringement lawsuit by Sony and Warner Bros.
Sprague went on to post copies of the films online but died from a heart attack during his legal proceedings against him after pleading guilty to charges. Caridi, who denied all knowledge of the scam, was later cleared of all wrongdoing and died himself at the age of 85 in 2019. But the Academy stood by their decision and refused to lift the ban after violating his agreement to safeguard their screeners.
Roman Polanski
Controversial film director Roman Polanski has been banned from the Oscars for life (AFP via Getty Images)Another celebrity slapped with a lifetime ban by the Academy is controversial French-Polish film director Roman Polanski. The 90-year-old was banned in 2018 after being convicted of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor.
Polanski fled the US in the Seventies while awaiting final sentencing after spending 42 days in jail for pleading guilty to the charge. It was alleged that in March 1977 the then 43-year-old drugged and had sex with a 13-year-old girl.
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He fled to France, where he still lives, to evade justice. Despite his crime, he continues to make films, some of which have been recognised at the Oscars, such as The Pianist, Rosemary’s Baby and Chinatown. However, since his 2018 ban, this has not been the case.
Harvey Weinstein
Weinstein is currently behind bars (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)Disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein was banned from the Academy for life in 2017 after his sex crimes dating back decades came to light. The now 71-year-old, who was once one of the most powerful men in Hollywood, was convicted of rape and sexual assault and sentenced to 23 years behind bars in 2020.
Last month Weinstein was sentenced to a further 16 years in prison for further sex crimes and is now likely to spend the rest of his life in prison. The Academy called Weinstein’s crimes “repugnant, abhorrent and anti-ethical to the high standards of the Academy and the creative community it represents.” He was also suspended by the BAFTAs and dropped from his production company.
Bill Cosby
Once known as ‘America’s Dad’, former actor and comedian Bill Cosby had a dramatic fall from grace when he was convicted of sexual assault in 2018. The now 86-year-old was jailed for up to 10 years for drugging and sexually assaulting a basketball coach in 2004.
He was released from prison after serving three years in 2021 after the Pennsylvanian Supreme Court overturned his conviction. However, there are still ongoing civil lawsuits after numerous women also came forward claiming similar crimes against him.
Cosby remains banned from the Academy, who said: “The Board continues to encourage ethical standards that require members to uphold the Academy’s values of respect for human dignity.” However, it is reported he plans to tour again.
Adam Kimmel
One of the most recent people to be banned from the Oscars is cinematographer Adam Kimmel, who worked on films like Capote, Beautiful Girls and Never Let Me Go. The 64-year-old is a registered sex offender who pleaded guilty to having sex with a 15-year-old girl when he was 43 before going on to have a Hollywood career. He claimed the sex was consensual but admitted having sex with a minor. The Academy has since confirmed he is no longer a member and cannot attend the awards ceremonies.
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