It’s been three days since the Oscars aired on ABC, and while there’s certainly enough to discuss regarding the 2022 Academy Award winners, the most talked-about moment from the ceremony remains Will Smith slapping Chris Rock. There are many opinions on the incident and Oscars host Wanda Sykes is in the support rock camp. Actually, Sykes was able to come up with a way to address what had happened onstage.
Wanda Sykes hosted this past weekend’s Oscars with Regina Hall and Amy Schumer (who clarified on social media that her moment with Kirsten Dunst was scripted). She made an appearance on EllenSykes shared how, after watching one of the shows’ bits, she was trying to change into a new outfit, but wanted Rock to perform. But, the Black-ish actress only made it to the monitor as Smith was leaving the stage, and she had to be informed about what he’d done. Sykes said the following:
It was so horrible for Chris. It was so debilitating. I physically felt ill, and I’m still a little traumatized by it. I was shocked that they allowed him to stay in the room and watch the rest of the show, and accepted his award. ‘How gross is this?’This is the wrong message. You assault somebody, you get escorted out of the building, and that’s it. I found it gross that they allowed him to continue. Plus, I wanted to be free to go out after he won, and say, ‘Unfortunately, Will couldn’t be here tonight…’
To provide some context, a little over half an hour after Will Smith slapped Chris Rock over a joke the latter made about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, appearing in G.I. Jane 2 was referring to Jane’s baldness, which is due to alopecia. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for King Richard. As Wanda Sykes sees it though, Will Smith shouldn’t have been allowed to stay in the building, and she could have used that as a way to joke about how he wasn’t around to accept his Oscar. But that’s not what happened; instead, Smith delivered a passionate speech where he indirectly addressed the scuffle with Rock and apologized to the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences about what happened.
In the hours following Will Smith’s confrontation with Chris Rock, the Saturday Night LiveThe alum declined charges against him Black for MenSean Combs, also known as actor. Diddy, who presented following Rock, claimed that the men had squashed their beef late in the night. Smith apologized to Rock the next day and said he was sorry. “out of line and wrong.”Unfortunately Will Smith was not the only one who had to respond to thousands of angry tweets.
Wanda Sykes isn’t the only celebrity who disapproved of what Will Smith did. Jim Carrey claimed that Smith was a good person. “sickened” by the actor getting a standing ovation later during the Oscars, and Zoë Kravitz shared similar sentiments on the brouhaha. On the other side of the spectrum, Smith’s Bel-Air’s Fresh Prince co-star Janet Hubert said she was proud of Smith for winning the Oscar and made it clear she’s not Rock’s biggest fan. Jada pinkett Smith was also cryptic on Instagram. “this is a season for healing,” and she’s “here for it.”
CinemaBlend will continue to update you on the Will Smith matter. Hulu subscribers can re-watch the 94th Academy Awards.