The Tonys Have Issued A Hard-And-Fast Rule To Ward Off Any Onstage Slapping Fiascos In Advance

Now that The Slap has turned award ceremonies into a MMA match waiting to happen, The Tony Awards are already getting ahead of any potential fisticuffs by making it clear that if anything like the Will Smith and Chris Rock incident goes down, they won’t hesitate to toss folks out. Even though this year’s show is nearly two months away, the Tony Awards let attendees know that it will have a zero tolerance policy for violence at the event.

Via IndieWire:

A letter to potential ticket buyers, sent by Tony Award Productions, included a new warning in its FAQ section, writing, “The Tony Awards has a strict no violence policy. In the event of an incident, the perpetrator will be removed from the event immediately.” The “no violence policy” was issued among other rules of attendance including black tie attire, proof of COVID-19 vaccinations, and non-transferable tickets.

The Tony Awards announcing its “no violence policy” arrives just as the discourse around The Slap has finally become a dull roar. For at least two weeks following the Oscars, Smith assaulting Rock onstage has dominated headlines as past and present hosts weighed in on the controversy, and people watched as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences weighed how to punish Smith who had preemptively resigned. He was eventually hit with a 10-year ban from all Academy events. However, that does not prevent him from still being nominated for an Oscar.

Meanwhile, Rock is just trying to get on with his comedy tour without The Slap hanging in the air. Although, he did joke that he finally has his hearing back.

(Via IndieWire)