As you know, during the 2022 Oscars ceremony, Will Smith approached the stage and slapped Chris Rock after the comedian made a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. The actor then returned to his seat, before winning an Oscar. After the event in question, Will Smith publicly apologized with Chris Rock, the Academy and viewers. Certain voices have since been raised to ask the Academy why the act of Will Smith had no immediate consequences. We now know a little more about the subject, and we were also able to collect Chris Rock’s first testimonial on this point.
The Oscar slap and its immediate repercussions
The Academy issued a statement (transcribed by THR) indicating that it has “initiated disciplinary proceedings against Mr. Smith” after a meeting with the Board of Governors. In his statementthe Academy calls Mr. Smith’s actions a “deeply shocking” and apologizes to Mr. Rock, and to the nominees, guests and viewers who witnessed this “traumatic event”.
Many have speculated about the reason why will smith was not expelled after the incident; but it turns out that the Academy did indeed ask the actor to leave, but that the latter refused. Here is the Academy’s statement on the matter :
Things happened in a way that we could not have foreseen. We would like to clarify that Mr. Smith was asked to leave the ceremony and declined, but we also acknowledge that we could have handled the situation differently.
In the wake of the event, Chris Rock remained silent for a long time, before finally agreeing to speak.
Chris rock breaks his silence
Chris Rock broke the silence on the high-profile incident that happened at last Sunday’s Oscars during his comedy show which took place in Boston on Wednesday night. Chris Rock reportedly addressed the incident early on in the show, explaining that he was still trying to process it:
I do not have a lot of shit to talk about what happened, so if you came to hear me talk about it, don’t bother, I have an entire show I wrote before that weekend to show you. I’m still digesting what happened. So yeah, at some point I’m gonna talk about this shit. Et it will be both serious and funny.
Chris Rock’s answer is briefbut it is understandable that the comedian needs time and advice to be able to evoke the event, which was extremely publicized around the world. It would seem for the moment, according to his words, that the comedian seeks to treat this event both seriously and with humor. One thing is sure, his detailed comments on this subject will certainly be read with great interest in the future.
And if you want to know Jim Carrey’s comments about what happened (and Will Smith is hardly spared), you can consult our previous article on the subject.
