Academy Awards 2022. The 95th Oscars took place in its full glory after nearly 2 years of being impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Hollywood Allister assembled in the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles to witness a memorable night. And it was indeed memorable. Not only for the attendees and the management of the ceremony but also for the whole entertainment world.
Will Smith arriving at the stage in fury to slap Chris Rock became the biggest headline from the event. So big that it probably even stole the limelight of Will getting his first-ever 'Best Actor Oscar for his performance in King Richard. The 'slap gate' incident didn't end there; the crowd was under the assumption that the slap was part of a preplanned act, and thus the audience burst into awkward laughter. However, they were awkwardly silenced moments later when Will returned to his seat and yelled at Chris, who remained on stage in complete shock, “Keep my wife’s name out your mouth.” And then, barely 40 minutes later, when Smith was invited on the stage to collect his best-actor Oscar, the King Richard actor broke down into tears while delivering his acceptance speech. Smith apologizes for his immature behavior to the organizers and the present guests.
But the damage was done. The slap and Will's subsequent reaction caused a storm in the entertainment fraternity with many fans saying that Will was supposedly under a lot of pressure from his wife “Jada Pinkett Smith” who rolled her eyes at Will after he was seen laughing at Chris' GI Jane reference. Will clarified in his acceptance speech that he was hurt by the joke directed at his wife because it made fun of her medical condition. Jada Smith suffers from a condition called Alopecia since 2018 wherein she had to remove all her hair and has been vocal about how her hair loss has damaged her confidence. It’s also been reported that Chris had been unaware of Jada’s medical condition.
Will Smith has even apologized publicly to Chris Rock in one of their social media posts, calling his behavior “unacceptable and inexcusable'' and writing that "there is no place for violence in a world of love and affection.” However, it still doesn't seem that Chris has accepted the apology.
However, the comedian finally broke his silence on the matter. At his stand-up comedy show in Boston, Chris was heard telling the crowd that “Except for a couple of weird things, life is pretty good right now," The comedian also went on to say that he’s Still “Processing” the incident which seemingly denies reports that they’ve spoken since the Oscar event.
According to those who attended two Chris Rock shows that he did at Boston’s Wilbur Theater on Wednesday night, the comic received immense support from the crowd.
The audience immediately broke into a standing ovation as soon as Chris got on stage. The comedian was humbled by the gesture and couldn't get a word out for a few minutes. He was seen wiping the tears from his eyes. It took a while before the applause from the crowd eventually slowed. Chris was seen jokingly greeting the crowd by asking: “How was your weekend?”
Chris told fans he didn’t wish to discuss the weekend’s events at length and clarified that his stand-up show was written “before all this nonsense happened,” I'm still kind of processing what happened, so at some point, I'll talk about that,” The comedian went tried to downplay the incident as of now and said, “And it'll be serious, and it'll be funny, but right now I'm going to tell some jokes."
And amid rumors of a possible reconciliation, Chris, without naming Will specifically, also seemed to downplay the reports that he and the actor reconciled behind the scenes after the show.“I haven't talked to anyone, despite what you heard,” he said. This was perhaps a reference to the comments made by Sean “Diddy” Combs, who said that he “can confirm” that Will and Chris have made amends after the altercation. Diddy talked about Will and Chris saying, “It’s all love", and that “they’re brothers”. However, Diddy had to retract his comments later and said that he “never confirmed” a reconciliation and only implied that as brothers they will work it out and let's move on with love.
Since the ceremony and everything that happened in it took place, there have been a wide number of celebrities and public figures who have gone on to condemn Will’s actions and have spoken out in support of Chris. These celebrities include one of the Oscars’ three hosts, Wanda Sykes.
Wand appeared on The Ellen Degeneres Show the following week after the ceremony and revealed that Chris Rock personally apologized to her after the ceremony at Guy Oseary’s after-party.
She said that as soon as she walked up to him, the first thing he said was, ‘I'm so sorry.
It was supposed to be your night. You and Amy and Regina were doing such a great job. I'm so sorry this is now gonna be about this.’
Wanda echoed the sentiments of many when she said that it was “gross” seeing how Will was allowed to be present in the audience and accept his award even after the altercation. She called it sickening and that she is a little traumatized by it. She pointed out that the authorities letting Will stay in the award function sends the wrong message.
According to her, if you assault somebody, you must get escorted out of the building and the lack of action by authorities is what made it gross.
Since then, the Academy has revealed that Will was asked to leave the ceremony, but refused to do so. The Academy said, "Things unfolded in a way we could not have anticipated ” and said that it would like to clarify that Mr. Smith was asked to leave the ceremony but refused. It also said that they could have handled the situation differently.
In a statement provided to the Hollywood Reporter, the academy said that its board of governors had officially started “disciplinary proceedings” against Will, implying that his actions violated its standards of conduct. After two days following the statement, Will Smith also announced that he was resigning from the Academy after his misdemeanor during last Sunday’s Oscars telecast.
The Academy also plans to forge ahead to conduct a formal investigation along with a disciplinary process. The organization could also impose further sanctions on the actor by its bylaws, Standards of Conduct, and California law.
Even after Will announces his resignation from the Academy, the actor still gets to keep his Best Actor Oscar for “King Richard '' and can even get invited to future Academy Awards ceremonies. What's more, he can still be nominated for future consideration. The resignation only means that he will no longer be a voting member of the Academy. Smith’s resignation comes in response to a disciplinary hearing notice against the actor which was initiated by the Academy. Smith admits his fault and fully accepts all consequences for his conduct at the live event.
Meanwhile, the 'slap gate' might also impact Will Smith's career and the future of his upcoming films. According to reports, Netflix has halted the development of one of its upcoming films, Fast and Loose, starring Will Smith. The film is said to be stalled after the Will Smith-Chris Rock slap gate, and it is still isn't sure if Netflix will ever resume work on Fast and Loose's development with Smith or if they plan to rope in a new actor. According to the Hollywood Reporter, other projects Will might also be put on ice, which presumably could be his other Netflix movies, including The Council and Bright 2.
An insider close to the Smiths has also provided some insight into what's happening post the Slap gate, saying that Smith slapping Rock "was in the heat of the moment” and that he “overreacted,” of which the couple is in complete "agreement.” Moreover, it was also disclosed that Jada Smith didn't want Will to get in any altercation to defend her, as “she's not one of these women that needs protecting. He didn't need to do what he did, she didn't need protecting. She's not a wallflower.” The insider went on to add that Jada “she's a strong woman, an opinionated woman, and she can fight her own battles. But she will stand by him.”
Chris Rock's younger brother Tony Rock was also seen recently slamming Will Smith for slapping his brother during the Academy event. He also warned his stand-up audience against doing the same to him. Tony Rock recently took to the stage for a stand-up act, where he entered to huge applause.
He used a lot of expletives regarding the infamous event, implying Jada Smith's role in it when he said: "You gonna hit my mother---- brother because your b--h gave you a side-eye?”
Whatever comes out of the Will Smith-Chris Rock controversy, one thing's clear. The 2022 Oscars including Smith and Chris Rock received a big boost in publicity. The single-story will have a ripple effect, and it is not clear when the Smiths and Rock will dominate Hollywood headlines on the matter. Maybe when the two of them reconcile, the matter might fade away. But for now, it is the hottest topic around and will continue to be so.
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