A year ago, Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars. Here’s what has happened since.
Academy Awards history that became known as “the slap.” The world could not stop talking about Will Smith striking comedian Chris Rock onstage at the 2022 Oscars after Rock made a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.
The 2023 Oscars air live on March 12 (ABC, 8 p.m. ET/5 PT), which means all eyes will be closely watching to see what transpires around the jaw-dropping moment. The Academy has already said it’s forming a “crisis team” to handle any unexpected incidents during the show.
Here’s everything to know about the slap and everything that’s happened since.
When did Will Smith slap Chris Rock?
The controversy began when Rock appeared onstage to present the Academy Award for best documentary feature during the 2022 Oscars ceremony. In his introduction, Rock made a joke about a possible “G.I. Jane” sequel in reference to Pinkett Smith’s bald head.
Smith appeared to first laugh at Rock’s joke, though Pinkett Smith rolled her eyes and looked upset.
Afterward, Smith walked up to the stage, slapped Rock and returned to his seat amid confusion in the crowd about whether the segment was scripted or real.
“Will Smith just slapped the (expletive) out of me,” Rock deadpanned to the audience.
“Keep my wife’s name out of your (expletive) mouth,” Smith shouted from his table.
“Wow, dude. It was a ‘G.I. Jane’ joke,” Rock replied. Smith repeated his previous remarks.
Pinkett Smith has previously opened up about her struggle with alopecia, an autoimmune skin disease that can cause hair loss on the scalp, face or other areas of the body, according to the American Academy of Dermatology.
How did Chris Rock respond?
Rock has not publicly discussed the incident at length and he did not file a formal police report against Smith.
The comedian’s first remarks acknowledging the slap came during a stand-up comedy show three days after the Academy Awards.
He said he was “still kind of processing what happened” and that “other than the weird thing, life is pretty good.”
Rock’s new stand-up special “Selective Outrage” streams live March 4 on Netflix, a week before the 2023 Oscars. There’s no word yet on whether he will bring up the incident, but fans will surely be watching for it.
Did Jada Pinkett Smith respond?
Pinkett Smith addressed the slap during a June episode of her talk show “Red Table Talk,” in which she emphasized compassion for both Smith and Rock.
he made his first on-camera apology with a YouTube video titled “It’s been a minute …” In it, Smith addressed why he didn’t apologize to Rock when he won best actor just minutes after the confrontation.
“I was fogged out by that point. It’s all fuzzy. I’ve reached out to Chris and the message that came back is that he’s not ready to talk, and when he is he will reach out,” Smith said. “So I will say to you, Chris, I apologize to you.”
What has the Academy done to address the incident since the 2022 Oscars?
The Board of Governors for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences barred Smith from attending any Academy events, including the Oscars, for 10 years.
Smith had resigned from the Academy a week before the disciplinary actions were announced.
The Oscars has also implemented a “crisis team” to handle any unexpected incidents during the show.
In an interview last month with Time, Academy CEO Bill Kramer revealed a team has been assembled for the first time in the group’s history to deal with surprise incidents.
“We’ve run many scenarios. So it is our hope that we will be prepared for anything that we may not anticipate right now but that we’re planning for just in case it does happen,” he said.
All the Will Smith, Chris Rock news:
- Will Smith’s Oscars future:What the Academy’s 10-year ban means
- ‘This is probably irreparable’:Will Smith apologizes to Chris Rock in emotional video
- Chris Rock comedy show:Comedian claims he was asked to host Oscars, jokes about Will Smith slap
- Chris Rock’s mom speaks out on Will Smith:‘When you hurt my child, you hurt me’
- The controversy:Why we can’t agree on Will Smith’s slap
- Timeline:Will Smith and Chris Rock’s rocky relationship predates the Oscars slap by six years