The Academy Awards is widely seen as one of the most important nights in the Hollywood calendar.
For many performers, taking home an Oscar is the ultimate career milestone, but only a select few ever get to claim one.
As things stand, six high-profile figures are barred from the ceremony, scheduled for March 15 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
From on-stage violence to convictions for sexual offences, here are the names who won’t be able to attend the 98th annual Academy Awards.
Here’s a look at the list.
One of the most talked-about bans involves Will Smith, following the 2022 incident in which he walked onto the Oscars stage and struck comedian Chris Rock.
At the time, Smith, then 53, was seated in the crowd alongside his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, when Rock made a remark about her appearance.
Pinkett Smith has alopecia areata, an autoimmune disorder that can cause hair loss.
Rock quipped: “Jada, I love you, GI Jane two, can’t wait to see it!”
The joke referred to the 1997 movie GI Jane, in which the lead character shaves her head to join the military.
Smith then approached the stage, slapped Rock, and shouted: “Keep my wife’s name out of your f**king mouth.”
Not long after, the Academy announced a 10-year ban.
The board said: “The Board has decided, for a period of 10 years from April 8, 2022, Mr. Smith shall not be permitted to attend any Academy events or programs, in person or virtually, including but not limited to the Academy Awards.”
Bill Cosby was given a lifetime ban by the Academy after his sexual assault conviction.
In 2018, Cosby was found guilty of drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand in 2004.
His conviction was later overturned in 2021, leading to his release from prison.
The Academy issued a statement, which read: “The Board continues to encourage ethical standards that require members to uphold the Academy’s values of respect for human dignity.”
Carmine Caridi, who died in 2019, became the first person to receive a lifetime ban from the Academy.
He was accused of illegally distributing VHS screener copies of films to his friend Russell Sprague, with the titles later appearing online.
“I would send them to him before I even looked at them,” Caridi told The Hollywood Reporter in 2017.
“And then he would copy them and send them back.”
Caridi was offered immunity in exchange for identifying Sprague.
“I thought I was going to jail,” he added. “If I didn’t, they would have handcuffed me.”
He also described the notice he said he received from the Academy’s board of governors after the decision to expel him.
“They wrote me a letter. “‘You’re finished.’”
Harvey Weinstein was expelled in 2017 amid a wave of sexual assault allegations.
The former film producer was arrested in May 2018 and later faced charges including rape, after more than 80 women accused him of non-consensual behaviour over the course of his career.
Although he denied accusations of ‘non-consensual sex’, he was sentenced in March 2020 to 23 years in prison.
He later received an additional 16-year sentence in Los Angeles after being convicted of two counts of sexual assault and one count of rape.
In 2024, the New York Court of Appeals overturned Weinstein’s 2020 conviction, citing concerns that he had not received a fair trial.
In June last year, a New York jury found Weinstein guilty on one count of a criminal sexual act, while finding him not guilty on another charge.
The jury was unable to reach a verdict on the rape allegation tied to actress Jessica Mann. That charge resulted in a mistrial, and a retrial is expected to start April 14 this year.
In a statement, the board said: “[Weinstein’s actions were] repugnant, abhorrent, and antithetical to the high standards of the academy and the creative community it represents.”
Director Roman Polanski was removed from the Academy following his rape conviction dating back to the 1970s.
Polanski pleaded guilty in 1977 to unlawful sex with a minor after being arrested for having sex with a 13-year-old girl.
He later left the US and has continued living in Europe.
In an October 2017 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Polanski reflected on the case, saying, “As far as what I did: It’s over. I pleaded guilty.”
Cinematographer Adam Kimmel joined the Academy in 2007, but in November 2020 his past as a registered sex offender became public and the organization removed him.
The Academy said their membership is ‘based on an honor system that relies on the integrity of prospective members, their sponsors, and branch committee members to disclose any disqualifying information.’