The late-night show’s hosts have opened up about the stunning moment when Will Smith slapped comedian and Oscars host Chris Rock in the face on national TV for a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.
They seem to generally agree that Will Smith should have chosen a different way to express his anger, but remember these are comedians, of course they made a joke of the whole ordeal in their show opening monologues .
Jimmy Kimmel, host of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, is the only person in the late-night gang to have hosted the Oscars — which he did in 2017 and 2018 — so he knows firsthand what it’s like to be at one of the Oscars to lead biggest shows on TV.
He spoke about the experience and how the host initially thought it was all staged. “I watched like most people do and I said to my wife, ‘You did a really good job with that punch – it looked so real,'” he said. “And about three seconds later we realized it was because it was real.”
And that’s when his reaction turned from excitement to concern.
“In one breathtaking moment – the night went from ‘Oscars – So What?’ to ‘Oscars So WAAAAAAAT?!’
Many compared last night’s slap to a boxing match, and Kimmel added perspective to the idea. “It was so shocking. The only thing I can really compare it to is when Mike Tyson bit Holyfield’s ears.”
He also addressed the reaction at the Dolby Theater.
“And by the way, no one did anything,” he said. A whole room full of people- Nobody lifted a finger. Spider-Man was there. Aquaman was there. Catwoman – all sit on their hands. Nobody helped Chris Rock.”
Late Show host Stephen Colbert offered Smith some advice. “If you really want to hurt a comedian, don’t laugh! That hurts a lot more than a punch. I promise you.”
Late night hosts recalled several of Smith’s films.
Kimmel called the incident “the old Hitch slap.”
Is the slap the worst thing Smith has ever done? Colbert disagrees. “That’s the worst thing Will Smith has ever done… wait, I forgot about Wild Wild West. I’m just kidding, the worst thing he’s ever done is Gemini Man,” he said.
The Late Show host is confident that next year’s awards show will look similar to the Thunderdome. “So get ready for the 95th Oscar Slaptacular Deathmatch next year. Five nominees come in, one goes out.”
And to top it off, there’s this video:
At #LSSC tonight: Will Smith had a trick up his sleeve during his #Oscar Speech. pic.twitter.com/a0SLs2zyxk
— The Late Show (@colbertlateshow) March 29, 2022
In “Late Night With Seth Meyers” he had his TV presenter Amber Ruffin give her personal summary of the Oscars.
“I know why there isn’t a best horror movie category because the best horror movie is the Oscars,” she said.
She mentioned talking to her sister and how her feelings at the moment were consuming her and hampering her Oscars experience.
“His [Smith] The acceptance speech lasted 5 minutes and 25 seconds, and I didn’t breathe for five minutes and 25 seconds,” Ruffin noted. “The earth broke open and I slipped through. I heard echoes of “I’m sorry, but not Chris Rock.”
The host ended her recap by mentioning what she saw on social media and the public reaction. “I’ve been scrolling Twitter and reading jokes and food for thought and opinions about it and while I felt like I had seen something horrible and private that left me very ashamed, I found that everyone in America felt the same way I did. And that, my friends, is the magic of the Oscars!”
Like his peers, Jimmy Fallon opened up The Tonight Show and spoke about the controversy before taking a turn.
“Obviously I have to address the big moment that everyone is talking about and that is Questlove winning the Oscar for Best Documentary!” Fallon said of The Tonight Show’s tubular band The Roots.
Questlove won in the Presented by Rock category right after the incident on stage. Many say his moment of victory was marred by the controversy.
The 94th Academy Awards was clearly not your typical awards show. “It was an odd awards show to end with a statement from the LAPD,” Fallon said.
He found a ray of hope in shock from the moment Smith hit Rock. “America may be divided, but it was kind of nice for all of us to get together and say ‘Holy Crap’ at the same time.”
Late Late Show’s James Corden applauded Rock for his response to the incident and continued to present his category.
“Let me tell you, Will Smith can’t take a joke, Chris Rock can take a punch.”
Cordon also parodied the song “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” inspired by the Will Smith controversy, “We Don’t Talk About Jada” which summed up the Oscars.