Will Smith To Join Wife Jada’s Oscars Boycott

Will Smith will stand with wife Jada Pinkett Smith and not
attend the Oscars.

The actor, who failed to earn a nomination for his role in
“Concussion,” spoke to “Good Morning America’s” Robin
Roberts this morning about his decision.

“We’ve discussed it,” Will said
of his wife, who is calling for a boycott of the award show after the Academy
only nominated white actors. “We’re part of this community, but at this
current time, we’re uncomfortable to stand there and say that ‘this is OK.’” 

“My wife’s not going. It would be
awkward to show up with Charlize [Theron],” the actor joked. Will also explained that he was out of the country
when Jada launched her Oscars boycott on social media.

“She’s deeply passionate and when she
is moved, she has to go,” he said of Jada. “I heard her words and I
was knocked over. I was happy to be married to that woman,” he said.

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The actor explained that he hopes the
Smith family will be “part of the solution” to Hollywood’s ongoing
diversity issue. 

 “There is a position that we hold in
this community, and if we’re not part of the solution, we’re part of the
problem,” he added. “It was her call to action, for herself, and for
me and for our family to be a part of the solution.”

READ: Jada Pinkett Smith & Spike Lee To Boycott Oscars

Will told Robin that his wife’s decision
to boycott the film industry’s biggest night is more than his lack of a
nomination.

“There’s probably a part of that in
there but, for Jada, had I been nominated and no other people of color were,
she would have made the video anyway. We’d still be here having this
conversation. This is so deeply not about me,” he said. “This is about
children that are gonna sit down and they’re gonna watch this show and they’re
not going to see themselves represented.”

The actor, who has been nominated two
times – once in 2001 for “Ali” and again in 2006 for “The
Pursuit of Happyness” – also spoke about this year’s crop of Oscar
hopefuls.

“Everyone is beautiful and deserving
and is fantastic but it feels like it’s going the wrong direction,” he
said. “The nominations reflect the Academy. The Academy reflects the
industry [Hollywood] and then the industry reflects America. There is a
regressive slide towards separatism, towards racial and religious disharmony
and that’s not the Hollywood that I want to leave behind.”

— Jesse Spero