I know, I know, some of you are sick of hearing what happened at the Academy Awards on Sunday, with Will Smith slapping Chris Rock, and I fully understand. Yet, this story is one of those gifts that sheds light on how the creatures of Hollywood act–and sheds light on how they think they are untouchable. That is a story worth talking about.

So, move along if you are offended, I don’t want you to feel the need, or think you have the right to slap me.

We have covered this story widely here at Red State, and here is just a sampling of those stories, from Jeff Charles with his post Views on Will Smith Slapping Chris Rock Are Not Partisan, and one I wrote earlier this week about Howard Stern making an idiotic comparison to Smith and Donald Trump. Howard Stern Jumps the Shark AGAIN, Likening Will Smith to Donald Trump.

From my post on Stern…

“Not one person came out because he’s Will Smith,” said Stern, who pointed out that “this is how Trump gets away with s***. Will Smith and Trump are the same guy. He decided he’s going to take matters into his own hands.”

“At a time when the world is at war, bad timing, man. Calm your f****** a** down,” Stern said, referring to Russia’s war in Ukraine.

After co-host Robin Quivers said, “It shows where we are as human beings. You can’t even say something in a room without a war breaking out,” Stern took a moment to reflect on Rock, whom he described as “flustered. He was obviously, his head, he got f***** over.”

Actress and Trump critic Rosie O’Donnell also compared Smith to Trump.

She said that “like the Trump years — we don’t hold accountable.” O’Donnell also described Smith as being a “narcissistic madman” and accused the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences of not doing anything.

You know that when Rosie O’Donnell is making the same point you have fallen down a rabbit hole of stupidity.

Well, now comes word that the Academy is considering disciplining Smith for his actions on Sunday. Yet the biggest part of this new story is that representatives of the Academy Awards ceremony reportedly asked Smith to leave… and he refused. This is noteworthy because it was not long after the incident with Rock that he accepted the Academy Award for Best Actor.

From The Hollywood Reporter…

“The Board of Governors today initiated disciplinary proceedings against Mr. Smith for violations of the Academy’s Standards of Conduct, including inappropriate physical contact, abusive or threatening behavior, and compromising the integrity of the Academy,” the statement said.

Additionally, Smith will receive 15 days notice of a vote as well as an opportunity to be heard by written response, and at the next board meeting scheduled for April 18, the Academy may take action that could include “suspension, expulsion, or other sanctions permitted by the Bylaws and Standards of Conduct.”

In their statement, the Academy also said “Mr. Smith was asked to leave the ceremony and refused, [but] we also recognize we could have handled the situation differently.” The Hollywood Reporter has reached out to Smith for comment. The Academy also apologized directly to Rock in the statement, as well as nominees, guests and viewers.

Now, I don’t know anybody who actually believes that the Academy Awards Board of Governors is going to do anything to discipline Will Smith. Honestly, what can they do? They are not going to take away the award, and I don’t think they have any right to fine him any money.

So in my ever-so-humble opinion, the bigger story here is: if the representatives from the ceremony asked him to leave and he refused, this is once again shining a light on the fact Will Smith thinks he is above any authority.

Chris Rock said some words that hurt the actor’s wife; Smith gets to go up and smack the guy, and strut back to his seat. Security comes and asks him to leave after that incident. Smith thinks to himself: I’m going to be collecting an award that kinda resembles my wife; I’m not leaving yet.

He is such a megastar with a mega ego that he does not need to act as other, regular folks do. He is above it all– to hell with the consequences, as long as you issue a half-arsed apology.

They could have very easily removed him from the ceremony, but they chose not to. They were probably thinking: why create a bigger scene than the one that Smith did in front of hundreds of millions of people? Smith may suffer some public humiliation at the hands of memes and comics for years to come, but he will not face any real backlash from this–and the Academy not removing him is the clearest evidence of this.

So, chalk one up to Hollyweird once again. It shows that it really does act and think apart from most of mainstream America. That’s the way the system is, and as long as you’re honest about that, you can move on with your day not being bothered by it at all.

Don’t stop spreading those memes, though; some of them are absolutely hilarious.