The 75th Annual Tony Awards Issue “No Violence Policy”, Courtesy Will Smith

The Oscar incident between Will Smith and Chris Rock will never be forgotten. The slapping incident has alerted many award committees. Thanks to the Oscar awardee, Tony Awards has issued an exclusive “No Violence Policy”.

The “No Violence Policy”

Noted: This year's letter to potential @TheTonyAwards ticket buyers includes the following in the FAQ section: "The Tony Awards has a strict no violence policy. In the event of an incident, the perpetrator will be removed from the event immediately."

— Michael Paulson (@MichaelPaulson) April 20, 2022

The Tony Awards producers have cautioned the attendees with its new policy, which includes a warning not to engage in violence of any kind. The policy states that in case of default, the perpetrator will be removed from the event immediately. It reads as under:

“The Tony Awards has a strict no violence policy. In the event of an incident, the perpetrator will be removed from the event immediately.”

Potential ticket buyers received this letter with Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). The letter included purchasing ticket rules, COVID guidelines and a new no violence policy. Even though the production did not comment on it, the action is a definite result of what happened at the Oscars.

While the letter did not reference the Oscars, the connection is clear as the Smith-Rock incident generated an extreme amount of news coverage. Will Packer, the lead producer of the Oscars telecast, said he advocated for the Academy to not remove Smith from the event.

Tony Awards are given away for excellence in Broadway theatre. The awards committee was alert after the Oscar committee came under fire for not taking prompt action against the King Richard star.

The Tony production’s letter including the aforementioned warning has been issued considering what happened weeks back at the Oscars. Renowned comedian Chris Rock cracked a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith went on the stage and slapped him.

Will Smith issued an apology to the committee but has been banned from the Oscars for 10 years. The whole fiasco is still sung like folklore on every show. In the wake of what happened weeks back a the Oscars, Tony Awards production cannot take the slightest chance.

About the Tony Awards

Tony Awards, originally called the Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre are given away to recognize excellence in live Broadway Theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at the annual ceremony in Midtown Manhattan.

The awards were founded by theatre producer and director Brock Pemberton and were named after Antoinette “Tony” Perry, an actress, producer and theatre director who was co-founder and secretary of the American Theatre Wing.

The Tony Award is considered the highest U.S. theatre honor, the New York theatre industry’s equivalent to Emmy Awards for television, Grammy Awards for music and Oscars for film. The Tony Awards are also considered the equivalent of the Laurence Olivier Awards, United Kingdom and the Molière Awards, France.

The countdown begins! The 75th Annual #TonyAwards will return to @RadioCity on Sunday, June 12, in a four-hour television and streaming event only on @CBS and @paramountplus. pic.twitter.com/WMvP9o3r8o

— The Tony Awards (@TheTonyAwards) March 9, 2022

The 75th Annual Tony Awards are scheduled to be presented on June 12, 2022, at the Radio City Music Hall. The award function will also air live on Paramount+. Last year, these awards were held at Winter Garden Theatre in New York City and were broadcast live on CBS, as well as the Paramount+ streaming service.