Tony Awards Producers to Potential Slappers: You will Be Thrown Out

The producers of this year’s Tony Awards have warned potential slappers they will be booted from the show if they pull a Will Smith.

“The Tony Awards has a strict no-violence policy. In the event of an incident, the perpetrator will be removed from the event immediately,” read the letter Tony Award Productions sent to potential guests, according to Deadline.

The new rules come in response to actor Will Smith storming the stage during the Academy Awards telecast last month to slap comedian Chris Rock over a joke about his wife’s shaved head. As of now, the Tony Awards is the first ceremony of its kind to issue a formal rule denouncing such behavior.

***LANGUAGE WARNING***

The show will air live on CBS and Paramount+ on Sunday, June 12.

The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) has taken considerable criticism in recent weeks over its initial response to the Will Smith slap. On the night of the incident, Smith not only stayed for the duration of the show but was even given a standing ovation when he accepted the Oscar for Best Actor.

Several Hollywood celebrities have since publicly voiced their displeasure with the Academy.

“What are you investigating?” comedian Jay Leno asked in response to the Academy’s proposed investigation of the televised incident. “It had to be the most recorded assault in history.”

“I saw the back of his shoe, I saw Chris’ ear. There were so many cameras on this incident. What are you investigating? I know sometimes things are just what they appear to be,” he added.

Though the Academy banned Will Smith from the Oscars telecast for 10 years (he resigned as a member before he could be booted), other actors believe the Academy did not go far enough.

“Smith needs to express-mail his golden trophy back to the Academy and publicly state something to the effect of: ‘Out of respect for the 94 years of honor conferred upon this award, I do not in good conscience feel worthy of being its custodian,'” said The Blacklist star Harry Lennix.