Can the Academy take an Oscar away?

Will Smith slapped Chris Rock on stage at the Oscars Sunday night.

This was after Chris Rock made a joke about Will Smith’s wife medical condition alopecia which didn’t sit down well with the star actor Will Smith.

However, just minutes later, Will Smith went upstage to accept the award for Best Actor — but there are rumors that the award might be affected by his behavior earlier in the evening.

In a statement later Monday, the academy announced it was now reviewing the incident.

“The Academy condemns the actions of Mr. Smith at last night’s show. We have officially started a formal review around the incident and will explore further action and consequences in accordance with our bylaws, standards of conduct and California law,” the statement reads.

The Academy’s code of standards, which was updated in December 2017 in the wake of the Me Too movement, asks its members to behave ethically and uphold the academy’s “values of respect for human dignity, inclusion and a supportive environment that fosters creativity.”

The code states the academy is “categorically opposed to any form of abuse, harassment or discrimination,” and stipulates that it is no place for “people who abuse their status, power or influence in a manner that violates standards of decency.”

The code states the academy’s board can suspend or expel those who violate the code of conduct or who “compromise the integrity” of the academy.

However, it is unclear if a violation of the code of conduct can culminate into one losing his/her Oscar award.