The Federal Communications Commission received 66 complaints over Will Smith’s “slap heard round the world” in Sunday night’s Oscar ceremony, according to several reports citing Freedom of Information Act requests.
That’s a mere drop in the ocean compared to the 540,000 complaints registered when Janet Jackson’s partially bare breast was exposed by Justin Timberlake at the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show, two years before Twitter was born. (Notably, Janet Jackson’s breast was partially covered by a nipple cover during the shocking reveal. “Nipplegate”It was not accurate.
You could argue that Americans have always preferred violence to nudity in their entertainment, but the wave of outrage and shock over Smith slapping comedian Chris Rock over a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s hair happened primarily online in real time.
According to Twitter, as reported in Variety’s Trending TV chart, there were 5 million mentions on Twitter about the 2022 Oscars overall, with 32.8 million Twitter engagements.
Numerous hashtags including #arrestwillsmith sprung up on Oscar night. There were 200,000 tweets announcing support #TeamChris or #TeamWill. BetOnline.agreported. The phrase “What just happened”The slap was also popular immediately after it happened, confusing audiences who initially thought it might be a staged gag.
Jackson was the victim of the most backlash following the Super Bowl stunt in 2004. This led to a House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet proposing a bill called “The Jackson Act.” “the Janet Jackson bill,”Increased penalties for indecency In the midst of “Free Britney”Timberlake apologised to Britney Spears, his ex-girlfriend, and Jackson for not taking responsibility earlier.
Smith’s reputation and career are still at risk as SAG-AFTRA and the Academy continue to determine the appropriate punishment. Smith, who didn’t mention Rock in his Best Actor acceptance speeches, has since apologized to him via Instagram.