awards
March 11, 2023 | 3:00 p.m
The slap, which was heard “around the world,” was – hopefully – a one-hit wonder.
The Academy is now taking action to avoid “unprecedented” spectacle at this year’s 95th Academy Awards on Sunday after Will Smith punched Chris Rock during the live broadcast last year.
During the ceremony, a “crisis team” will be ready to step in if anything unforeseen happens, Bill Kramer, the CEO of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, told Time last month.
“We have a whole crisis team, something we’ve never had before, and a lot of plans,” he said. “We ran through many scenarios. So we’re hoping we’re prepared for anything that we might not be anticipating now, but are planning for when it does happen.”
Jimmy Kimmel, who will be this year’s Oscars host, is critical to the success of the ceremony, Kramer added, praising the late-night host’s ability to “deal with live TV,” as “things don’t always go like proceed as planned”.
“So you have a host in place that can really shoot and manage those moments,” Kramer said.
At the 94th Annual Academy Awards, Smith stormed onto the stage after Rock made a toneless joke about Jada Pinkett Smith, who suffers from alopecia. Portal Kramer announced that a crisis team would be on call on the evening of the ceremony to mediate in unforeseen situations. AFP via Getty Images
Kimmel, who was preparing to take on the role of host, jokingly threatened to “beat the shit out of” anyone who tried to slap him on stage.
“If someone comes on stage and hits me?” Kimmel, 55, began in his interview with the Hollywood Reporter this week. “Well, I size her up, and if I’m taller than her, I’ll beat her on TV. And if it’s the skirt, I’ll run.”
However, the comedian admitted that the excitement surrounding the slap has run its course – he says it’s “almost boring to joke about at this point”.
“Well, whatever I say to that, it’s got to be great, right?” he said, alluding to his opening monologue. “Because so much has been said and so much importance is attached to it. I don’t want to do the whole monologue about it, of course, but it would be ridiculous not to mention it.”
Kimmel, this year’s host, jokingly threatened that he would “hit” anyone who tried to approach him on stage. Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP
In an interview with People, Kimmel also noted how “shocking” it was and applauded Rock for how gracefully he handled it.
“I mean, getting slapped in the face and being so cool is something Chris should be proud of,” Kimmel said. “I hope Chris’ grandchildren will still be proud of him when he’s dead and gone.”
Academy President Janet Yang previously admitted the reaction to Smith’s behavior was “inappropriate”. After the infamous slap, Smith, 54, was banned from attending the awards ceremony for 10 years. The “King Richard” actor, who received an award for best actor that night, also resigned from the academy.
“We have learned from this that the Academy must be fully transparent and accountable in our actions, and particularly in times of crisis, you must act quickly, compassionately and decisively for us and our industry,” she told Variety.
“You shouldn’t and can’t expect less from us going forward,” she added.
Yang admitted the response to Smith’s slap was “inadequate.” Getty Images
Last year, Smith slapped Rock, 58, in the face after the comedian and actor made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith, who suffers from alopecia. He compared the actress to “GI Jane” because of her shaved head.
“Keep my wife’s name out of your damn mouth!” Smith then yelled twice from his seat after the slap.
Rock apparently never received a “private” apology from the award-winning actor, despite Smith’s “public” admission of regret. A source told the Chron he “never got a private apology from Will, only the public one, which really didn’t mean anything”.
After the fuss surrounding Smith’s tumultuous marriage, the ‘King Richard’ actor slapped Rock in the face during the show’s live broadcast. WireImage
“I want to publicly apologize to you, Chris,” Smith said in his initial teary-eyed apology. “I was out of line and I was wrong. I’m embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be.”
Later in July, he released a video claiming Rock was “unwilling to speak out about the incident.”
Rock, however, blasted the infamous pop culture phenomenon in his latest Netflix stand-up special, Selective Outrage.
“Everyone called that man a bitch,” Rock said, referring to the comment on Smith’s marital troubles before the Oscars. ‘And who did he meet? Me! A n – – a he knows he could hit. That’s a bit of a bitch – – t.”
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