Warning: this article contains discussion of sexual assault and rape some may find distressing
The 97th Academy Awards is set to take place on Sunday, with Emilia Pérez, The Brutalist and Wicked leading the charge with 33 nominations between the trio
Set to be hosted by Conan O’Brien, this year’s ceremony will see Coralie Fargeat competing as the only woman in the Best Directing category for The Substance, while Timotheé Chalamet will hope to repeat his recent SAG Award success in the Best Actor pen for his starring role in A Complete Unknown.
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While the likes of Cynthia Erivo, Sebastian Stan and Zoe Saldaña are expected to be in attendance at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on March 2, there will be a handful of people definitely not checking in for the evening.
One of which is actor Will Smith, who was banned from attending the ceremony for a decade after slapping Chris Rock on stage in 2022.
Others who will not be in the vicinity are Bill Cosby and Roman Polanski, both of whom were expelled from the Academy in 2018.
Below, we’ve highlighted everyone whose previously been banned from attending the Oscars and those who have had their voter rights taken away due to sexual assault convictions, illegal screener distribution, and more.
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Richard Gere
Banned from the Academy in 1993
In 1993, actor Richard Gere, 75, was selected to present the award for Best Art Direction at the 65th Academy Awards ceremony. However, before passing the trophy to Luciana Arrighi and Ian Whittaker for their work on Howards End, the Runaway Bride favourite used the platform to take a pop at the Chinese government.
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He made comments about the ‘horrendous human rights situation there is in China’, which was reportedly in relation to how Tibetans and Chinese people were being treated.
He added that he wanted to send ‘love and truth and a kind of sanity to Deng Xiaoping’, former leader of the People’s Republic of China, who died four years later.
Officials behind the Oscars slapped Gere with a 20-year ban, but it appears it wasn’t strictly enforced.
The Pretty Woman star attended the event in 2003 when Chicago was nomination and eventually won the Best Picture category.
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Gere, who played Billy Flynn in the flick, returned to the event in 2013 to present the Best Original Score and Best Original Song gongs at the 85th Academy Awards.
Carmine Caridi
Expelled from the Academy in 2004
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The late Carmine Caridi wins the award for being the first and only actor in history to have been thrown out of the Academy for leaking nominated movies.
The Godfather II actor may have never been nominated for an Academy Award, but he was an active Oscar voter for a very brief period.
In 2004, an FBI investigation declared Caridi guilty of distributing screener versions of nominated films online, thus causing his expulsion.
These movies included The Last Samurai, Mystic River, Big Fish, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, and Something’s Gotta Give
Following his exodus, Caridi admitted he’d made copies of the screeners for his family and that he’d sent the films to a friend named Sprague.
Sprague was later arrested and charged with criminal copyright infringement, while Caridi was sued by Columbia Pictures and Warner Bros., and ordered to pay the maximum penalty of $300,000, plus attorneys' fees to each studio.
Harvey Weinstein
Expelled from the Academy in 2017
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences voted to expel disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, 72, from the Academy following the numerous allegations of sexual assaults made against him.
At the time, the Academy said governors wanted to expel Weinstein: “Not simply to separate ourselves from someone who does not merit the respect of his colleagues but also to send a message that the era of willful ignorance and shameful complicity in sexually predatory behaviour and workplace harassment in our industry is over.”
The statement added that his actions were ‘deeply troubling’ and that they had ‘no place in our society’.
Three years after his expulsion, the former Hollywood star was given a 23-year jail sentence for a sexual misconduct conviction in New York.
In 2023, he was jailed for another 16 years for the rape of an actress, named only in court as Jane Doe 1.
Last year, New York’s highest court overturned Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction.
Previously, Weinstein had been nominated twice for an Oscar, winning Best Picture as a producer of Shakespeare in Love in 1999.
According to Forbes, prior to Weinstein's expulsion, films produced and/or distributed by Miramax and The Weinstein Company—under his leadership with his brother Bob—received 341 Oscar nominations and won 81 awards.
Bill Cosby
Expelled from the Academy in 2018
A month after actor Bill Cosby, 87, was convicted of sexual assault, the Academy moved to expel him.
"The Board continues to encourage ethical standards that require members to uphold the Academy's values of respect for human dignity," the Academy said in a statement following his conviction and subsequent ban.
After two years in jail, Cosby’s judgement was overturned and he was released from jail.
As of November 2023, the 86-year-old has been accused of rape, sexual assault and sexual harassment by more than 60 women.
The Associated Press reports he has denied all allegations involving sex crimes.
Roman Polanski
Expelled from the Academy in 2018
2018 was a double-whammy expulsion year, with director Roman Polanski, 91, also getting the boot.
The ban came decades after The Pianist director admitted to unlawful sex with Samantha Geimer, who was a minor at 13 years old in 1977.
He served just 42 days in prison for his actions.
A year after being told to exit the academy, Polaski sued the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, claiming he was expelled ‘without warning’.
In response, the Academy called its decision ‘fair’, declaring they would not reinstate him as a member.
“The procedures taken to expel Mr Polanski were fair and reasonable. The Academy stands behind its decision as appropriate,” a statement read.
Adam Kimmel
Expelled from the Academy in 2021
Adam Kimmel lost his American Society of Cinematographers membership at the same time he was expelled from the Academy as it was revealed he was a registered sex offender.
Variety writes that the Capote director was arrested in New York City in November 2003 and later pleaded guilty to rape in the third degree after admitting to having a sexual relationship with an underage girl.
Despite being sentenced to ten years on the sex offender registry, this was updated to 20 years in 2006 due to a statewide change of law.
As of 2025, Kimmel is the latest former member of the Academy to have been permanently expelled
Will Smith
Banned from the Academy in 2021
Two-time Academy Award winner Will Smith, 56, was sanctioned by the Academy after he slapped Chris Rock live on stage at the 94th Oscars.
The Academy voted to ban the King Richard star from the gala and other Academy events for ten years, due to his behaviour overshadowing the ceremony.
Smith - who admitted he’d ‘betrayed the trust of the Academy’ with this actions - said he would ‘fully accept any and all consequences for my conduct’.
The Academy went on to thank comedian Rock - who had made a joke about Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett-Smith at the event - for ‘maintaining his composure under extraordinary circumstances’.
Topics: Celebrity, Oscars, TV And Film, Entertainment
Ella Scott