Will Smith beats Chris Rock at the Oscars
There have been shocks, sighs and surprises at this year’s Oscars – but all anyone cares about is a slap in the face. The Oscars took place on Sunday night, with films such as The Power of the Dog, West Side Story, Licorice Pizza and Coda competing in the major categories.
The biggest story of the night had almost nothing to do with the awards: a shocking altercation between Will Smith and Chris Rock, sparked by a joke about Smith’s wife Jada. Smith took the stage and appeared to punch Rock in the face before yelling at him not to relate to his wife again.
It undoubtedly overshadowed the evening as a whole, and in particular – about half an hour later – Smith’s winning the Oscar for Best Actor for King Richard. Smith tearfully called himself “a vessel of love” and apologized to the Academy. The LAPD confirmed that Rock is not facing charges. The academy said it would not condone “any form of violence” and launched a “formal review” of what happened. Hours later, Smith apologized to Rock and said he was “embarrassed.”
Elsewhere, Coda won Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Actress went to Jessica Chastain for The Eyes of Tammy Faye, West Side Story’s Ariana DeBose won Best Supporting Actress, and Troy Kotsur won Best Supporting Actor for Coda .
Check out the full list of tonight’s winners here, and rewatch all of the awards, jokes and developments from the night on our live blog below…
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It was the incredible Oscar twist that nobody saw coming…unless you’re a Twitter user @_ja_s_on_.
A tweet originally shared in 2016 went viral after last night’s events for seemingly “predicting” the Chris Rock incident.
The Twitter user reshared the tweet, which speculatively referenced Smith slapping Rock in the face after last night’s events, alongside the caption: “Well…”
His reaction has since gone viral on the social media site and has been “liked” over half a million times.
Chris Baynes29. March 2022 02:00
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Richard Williams responds to Will Smith’s slap: ‘We will not condone hitting anyone’
The real-life tennis coach, played by Will Smith in his latest Oscar-winning performance, has distanced himself from the film star’s on-stage skirmish with Chris Rock at the awards show.
Richard Williams, the father and coach of tennis titans Venus and Serena Williams, was the subject of last year’s biopic King Richard, for which Smith won the Academy Award for Best Male Actor.
“Art imitates life. I look like the crazy dad — just like they said about Richard Williams,” Smith said. “But love will make you do crazy things.”
Io Dodds got the whole story here:
Chris Baynes29. March 2022 01:30
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‘Embarrassed’ Will Smith apologizes to Chris Rock over Oscar slap: ‘I was out of line and I was wrong’
Will Smith has apologized for beating Chris Rock at the Oscars on Sunday after the comedian made a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith.
“I was out of line and I was wrong,” read one statement On Monday, the actor addressed rock, the Motion Picture Academy and others, including his peers and the King Richard crew.
Josh Marcus has the story:
Chris Baynes29. March 2022 00:46
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While the Best Actor award was understandably overshadowed by other events, many Oscar viewers may be curious about the film that gave Smith his win, King Richard.
The film is available to stream on Virgin TV Go in the UK and HBO Max in the US.
In it, Smith plays Richard Williams, father of rising tennis champions Venus and Serena Williams – who were both in attendance at the Oscars yesterday.
Read Clarisse Loughrey’s four-star review of the film below…
Louis Chilton29. March 2022 00:01
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It may have hurt at the time, but Smith’s slap may have inadvertently signaled good news for presenter Chris Rock.
Ticket sales for Rock’s upcoming stand-up tour have reportedly skyrocketed, with ticketing site TickPick taking to Twitter to announce exactly how popular his new show is.
“We sold more tickets to see Chris Rock overnight than we did in the past month combined,” the company revealed.
British fans of the comedian will be happy to know that Rock will be performing a series of UK dates in May as part of the tour.
Louis Chilton28. March 2022 23:00
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With all the talk of Will Smith’s headline-grabbing confrontation, the actual winners of yesterday’s Academy Awards have tended to be swept under the rug.
However, the Academy Awards saw a string of historic wins in multiple categories, including Ariana DeBose becoming the first openly queer woman of color to receive an acting award after winning Best Supporting Actress for her role in West Side Story.
Troy Kotsur also became the first deaf male actor to win an Oscar after being recognized for his role as a supporting actor in eventual Best Picture winner, Coda.
You can click here for a list of all the winners of the ceremony.
Or you can read a rundown of the night’s biggest talking points below…
Louis Chilton28. March 2022 22:00
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The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced that it will launch an investigation into Will Smith’s behavior during yesterday’s ceremony.
In a new statement issued by the awards body, she “condemned” Smith’s actions and said an investigation into possible sanctions was being launched.
“The Academy condemns Mr Smith’s actions at last night’s show,” the organization said.
“We have officially begun a formal review of the incident and will review further actions and consequences consistent with our bylaws, standards of conduct and California law.”
What the “consequences” will look like remains to be seen.
Read the whole story here…
Louis Chilton28. March 2022 20:56
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Piers Morgan has given his two cents on the whole Smith incident (surprise, surprise) and detailed an encounter he allegedly had with the actor while interviewing Jada Pinkett Smith in 2011.
“My first encounter with him was unnerving,” wrote the former Good Morning Britain host.
“Before we started, he warned me, ‘Don’t upset my wife, Mr. Morgan, you wouldn’t like me if I was angry,'” Morgan claimed.
The comments came as part of a column in which he defended Smith, detailed his interaction with the actor and praised Smith’s relationship with his wife.
Read the full story below…
Louis Chilton28. March 2022 20:00
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Whoopi Goldberg has spoken out about Smith’s altercation on US talk show The View, ending speculation the actor could be stripped of his best actor win.
Goldberg, who is acting governor of the academy’s acting department, said, “I think there was probably a lot of stuff built up.
“I think he overreacted … I think he had one of those moments where it was [God damn] it, just stop. I understand not everyone behaves under pressure the way we would like them to. And he snapped.”
After her The View co-host Sunny Hostin loudly questioned whether the trophy could be taken away from Smith, the Sister Act star said, “We’re not going to take that Oscar away from him.”
Read the full story below…
Louis Chilton28. March 2022 19:00
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Author Joyce Carol Oates has delved extensively into the Will Smith drama in a series of tweets.
The Black Water novelist wrote: “Will Smith’s impulsive behavior when his wife was insulted is a Hollywood film from a bygone era when such incidents were hailed as brave and chivalrous.
“Inappropriate behavior but met with supreme aplomb and generosity by Chris Rock. Impressive professionalism & concern for the Oscars yet to be awarded. in a way, a pattern of behavior in confrontation with sudden, unplanned violence. Chris Rock’s generosity will prevail.”
“Ricky Gervais must be shaking his head and wondering how he’s escaped a flogging or two in the past,” she joked.
Louis Chilton28. March 2022 18:00