Oscars so white: Will Smith confirms Academy Awards no-show over lack of diversity

Actor Will Smith said he will not attend next month’s Oscars ceremony, joining his wife Jada Pinkett Smith and director Spike Lee to protest the absence of minorities among the acting nominees.

For a second year in a row, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences nominated only white actors for the 20 slots, causing an outcry. The issue is likely to be front and centre when the Academy’s board meets on Tuesday.

Smith, a mega-star whose role in NFL drama Concussion was overlooked this year, said Thursday he was out of the country when his wife announced on social media that she would not attend the February 28 awards ceremony in Hollywood.

“She’s deeply passionate and when she is moved she has to go,” Smith said in an interview on ABC’s Good Morning America show. “I heard her words and I was knocked over. I was happy to be married to that woman.”

“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,” said Smith, a two-time Oscar nominee for his roles in Ali and The Pursuit of Happyness.

“It was her call to action, for herself, and for me and for our family to be a part of the solution.”