Though it happened months ago, many are still discussing the controversial moment from this year’s Oscars that saw Chris Rock gets slapped on the stage by Will Smith. It was surely a surprising moment for those of us who were watching at home, though one can’t help but wonder what it was like for the folks who witnessed it in person. One such person in attendance was Lupita Nyong’o, who wasn’t seated too far from Smith and could be seen looking on as Smith shouted expletives at Rock from his seat. In time, Nyong’o’s expressions went viral and, now, the actress is reflecting on that moment and becoming a meme.
That night, the camera caught Lupita Nyong’o making a surprised facial expression while Will Smith yelled at Chris Rock. Given her distinct reaction, it was obvious that the star would go viral. And as it so happens, Nyong’o herself was more than aware of the fact that she would probably end up going viral due to that moment. The Academy Award winner spoke candidly about the moment during a conversation with THR and explained exactly why she knew that she’d go viral:
After the moment passed, I realized that it was over. ‘Oh my God, there’s no way all this transpired and I’m not in the shot.’I knew as soon as it was over that I was going to be a meme. … I don’t want to add any more fuel to that thing, quite frankly.
If it’s any consolation for her, she definitely wasn’t the only person to earn social media attention after that night. It’s obvious that The King RichardStar himself was the subject of many memes and animated gifs. Some even created edited clips of the moment that he slapped comic. Andrew Garfield was also a hit with the audience for his texting skills later in the broadcast. (Just last month. Garfield admitted that Garfield was actually texting about the slap.)
Will Smith made fun of Chris Rock’s joke about Jada Pinkett Smith by making a joke. Smith later apologized to Rock and was The Academy has been closedAs punishment, for ten years. Smith made a more personal apologies to Smith. Rock, who responded bluntly via his stand up routine. The two are yet to come together and repair their fences as of the writing of this article.
The live confrontation sparked a number of responses from notable names in Hollywood – some who were at the ceremony and some who were not. The latter group included Jim Carrey claimed that he was “sickened”Will Smith received a standing ovation after he won his Oscar on that night. Mila Kunis, who didn’t stand up to applaud Smith, claimed that her decision not to remain seated was an a “no-brainer.”She stated that she was amazed at the number of people who stood up. Conversely, Fresh PrinceStar Tatyana Ali made note of Smith’s “big heart”While also stating that “[Chris Rock] didn’t deserve to be hit.”Recently, Kevin Hart addressed the slapSmith said that people make mistakes, and that the world should let Smith and Rock handle the situation.
Based on her comments, Lupita Nyong’o seems to be ready to wash her hands of the situation, and that’s understandable. She wasn’t, after all, directly involved with the confrontation. Plus, she’s busy with plenty of other things like the impending release of her latest movie, Wakanda for Ever: Black Panther. Still, in all honesty, it’s going to be hard to forget that stunned reaction that she had to the slap.
Check out Lupita Nyong’o in Wakanda for Ever: Black PantherAs part of the theater schedule, opens November 11th in theatres Future movies.