It’s hard to believe it’s been three whole years since the notorious Oscars slap — three years since Will Smith made an enemy of Chris Rock and most of Hollywood. So, what has the film star learned after having all this time to reflect? 1q325

Smith, 56, was essentially canceled in 2022 after storming on stage and slapping the night’s host, Chris Rock, for making a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. Since then, it’s mostly been radio silence. We did see Will return for a fourth Bad Boys, and he’ll also be back for a sequel to one of the most forgettable movies of the late 2000s, but he’s mostly kept his head down and stayed away from the public’s attention — until now that is.

Will Smith addresses the Oscars slap in his latest album 1x4it

That’s right, the actor has made a surprising return to the music scene with a brand new album almost 20 years to the day since his last release. The new album is called Based on a True Story and in it Smith wastes no time addressing the altercation between him and Rock. The very first line of the opening track titled, “Int. Barbershop – Day” references the aftermath of the slap. 

At the start of the song, a voice is heard saying, “Will Smith is canceled,” from there it continues, with the various artists featured on the track echoing the thoughts that many people shared in the wake of the viral moment. At one point another voice asks, “who the f*** Will Smith think he is?” before saying: “I ain’t never going to forgive him for that s*** he did.”

Later in the song there are more direct references to the incident, “Him and Jada both crazy, girl, what you talkin’ bout?/ You better keep his wife’s name out of your mouth.” Someone also asks if Smith gave the Oscar back before saying, “you know they only made him do that s*** because he’s Black.”

The references to the incident continue into the second track, “You Lookin’ for Me” where he raps about being back on top, “Even though I won’t get nominated.” Both songs acknowledge the criticisms thrown at Smith during that period but also seem to be clapping back at his detractors who wanted to see him canceled.

The Oscars slap has deeply affected Will Smith’s career 14jl

For those who need their memories jogged, Chris Rock, who was hosting the ceremony, made a joke directed at Smith’s wife, Jada, in which he referenced her shaved head. While the joke got a chuckle out of the crowd, including Will himself, Jada seemed less than pleased. Seeing his wife’s reaction, Will stormed the stage and slapped the host before returning to his seat and yelling, “keep my wife’s name out of your f***ing mouth!”

This was the same year Smith won his first Oscar, although his actions that night overshadowed his achievement and saw the actor banned from the ceremony while his career took a bit of a nosedive. He did later apologize to Rock but it seems his actions that night had a greater impact on his career than anyone could have expected.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has seen its fair share of controversial ceremonies over the course of the Oscars‘ 95 years. Those include actress Sacheen Littlefeather refusing to accept the award on behalf of Marlon Brando in protest of Hollywood’s treatment of Native Americans in 1973, photographer Robert Opel streaking nude across the stage in 1974, and the infamous “oops” moment in 2017 when La La Land was prematurely awarded Best Picture instead of the rightful winner, Moonlight. 

Still, nothing comes close to the shocking display of violence that took place back in 2022 when famed performer Will Smith got up out of his seat, walked across the Oscars stage, and slapped host Chris Rock across the face on live TV after the comedian made a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. 

The moment will live in infamy, and will, unfortunately, precede both Smith and Rock for the remainder of their careers. On one hand, Smith’s actions displayed nothing but pure rage and violence in front of millions of viewers. On the other hand, the moment was shared across the globe and became a meme in only a matter of days. So it’s long-lasting impression on the realm of Hollywood is different depending on how you look at it.

A few short weeks after the 2022 ceremony, the Academy issued an official ban on Smith, ensuring that he become forbidden from setting foot anywhere near an Academy event or program. It isn’t permanent though, which begs the question — just how long is it?

How long did the Academy ban Smith from attending the Oscars? 4k6f4u

On April 8, 2022, a couple of weeks after the slap heard around the world, President David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson said in a statement that the Academy was implementing a 10-year ban on Smith, ensuring that even if he gets nominated for an Oscar and wins, he can’t accept it virtually or in person until 2033.

“The Board has decided, for a period of 10 years from April 8, 2022, Mr. Smith shall not be permitted to attend any Academy events or programs, in person or virtually, including but not limited to the Academy Awards.”

In a public apology to both the Academy and Chris Rock in the days following his outburst, Smith said, “My behavior at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable… I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong… There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness…. I would also like to apologize to the Academy, the producers of the show, all the attendees and everyone watching around the world.” Shortly after, he resigned from the Academy. 

Eventually, months later, Smith once again apologized to Rock in a public YouTube video, sparking an even larger debate about whether or not he deserves forgiveness. 

Nearly a year later in March 2023, Rock finally addressed the ordeal for the first time in his Netflix special Selective Outrage, eviscerating both Will and Jada in the process. While the comedy show seemed on the surface an opportunity for Rock to finally share his side of the story, some came away from it with tastes in their mouths just as sour as that fateful, infamous night back in 2022. 

While I love to advocate that celebrities have a right to privacy and shouldn’t be treated as if they signed away their lives in exchange for fame, it becomes hard to stand by the sentiment when a celebrity is eagerly giving away information about their personal life and kickstarting speculation sprees all by themselves. That mini-rant is to dash any lingering guilt I have before diving into the freshly revealed details — by none other than Jada Pinkett Smith — that throw a whole new light on the Oscars 2022 slap fiasco and give new meaning to why Chris Rock really dragged her “entanglement” while addressing the slap after a year.

After Will Smith marched up to the stage of the Oscars in 2022 and slapped Chris Rock for mocking Jada Pinkett Smith’s alopecia, the gossip mill kept churning enough ammo around the topic for months. Whenever it faltered, someone popped up to speak their mind on the months-old issue, ensuring that the memory of the slap remained minty-fresh. This time, it is Pinkett Smith herself.

In the last 24 hours, Pinkett Smith has left the world reevaluating the last 7 years as she revealed that she and Will have been separated since 2016 as they were “exhausted with trying” — which has brought old rumors to the present. As if that startling revelation wasn’t enough, the Matrix actress has now gone ahead and shared with People that Chris Rock — the comedian who publicly mocked her baldness and later blamed her for the Oscars 2022 drama — actually wanted to date her when rumors of her and Will’s divorce starting swirling.

“I think every summer all the reports would come out that me and Will were getting a divorce. And this particular summer, Chris, he thought that we were getting a divorce. So he called me and basically he was like, ‘I’d love to take you out.’ And I was like, ‘What do you mean?’ He was like, ‘Well, aren’t you and Will getting a divorce?’ I was like, ‘No. Chris, those are just rumors.’ He was appalled. And he profusely apologized and that was that.”

So, there was a point in time when Rock wanted to date Pinkett Smith. But the next immediate question this revelation begs is when did the stand-up comedian share this particular desire with the actress because as she correctly highlighted, rumors of her and the Suicide Squad star’s divorce have been around for years, which put a new spring in their steps every once in a while.

When did Chris Rock ask Jada Pinkett Smith out? 3c5841

Now, we are working on a moral ground here, which includes the fact that Rock was married until 2016. So, hopefully, he asked Pinkett Smith out after that, right? But that brings in the 2016 Oscar drama where as per Rock’s in 2023, Pinkett Smith asked him to quit the gig of hosting the awards ceremony that year as her husband’s film Concussion wasn’t nominated.

“Years ago, his wife said I should quit the Oscars. I shouldn’t host ’cause her man didn’t get nominated for Concussion. And then he gives me a [beep] concussion. That’s how it is – she starts it, I finish it, OK? That’s what the [beep] happened. Nobody’s picking on her. She started this [beep].”

Based on this chaotic timeline, was Rock just pissed about Pinkett Smith expecting him to quit the Oscars way back in 2016 when he chose to make fun of her in 2022, or did this eclectic mix of emotions also include the sting of rejection? We may never know as so far he hasn’t responded to the new comments, or maybe we will when Rock — in his bid to find fresh fodder for his next comedy special — decides to discuss (read: diss) when he mustered the courage to ask out Pinkett Smith.

When Will Smith got up out of his seat, walked across the Oscars stage, and slapped Chris Rock across the face on national television, it was impossible to predict the ramifications of those actions. Now, a year later, we have a clearer picture. 

After assaulting Rock for telling a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett, Smith was banned from the Academy for a decade, but not before reg from the Academy himself and issuing a public apology. Still, on that fateful night in 2022, Smith was awarded the Oscar for Best Actor for his performance in King Richard, thus setting the stage for what would become an awkward absence this year in which he would have presented the award for Best Actress. 

Considered a distinguished tradition and quasi-rite of age, recipients of the Best Actor award historically present the award for Best Actress the following year, and vice versa. With Smith barred from stepping foot on the Academy’s premises, his absence leaves an uncomfortable hole where his transgressions remain, and a giant question mark as to who will present the award to this year’s winner, from the five nominees in the category — Cate Blanchett, Ana de Armas, Andrea Riseborough, Michelle Williams, and Michelle Yeoh. 

In the hours leading up to this year’s ceremony, it’s easy to forget that we’ve been here before. In 2018, Casey Affleck — who won Best Actor for Manchester By The Sea the year before — skipped out on the Oscars due to sexual harassment allegations. In Affleck’s place, Jennifer Lawrence and Jodie Foster presented for Best Actress, having both won the award in years past. s McDormand ended up winning. 

The shake-up also affected the Best Actor and Best Director awards. Emma Stone, who won Best Actress in 2017, ended up presenting for Best Director instead of Best Actor, and Jane Fonda and Helen Mirren presented for Best Actor in her place. 

Similarly, in 2009 and 2010, the Academy chose to forgo the tradition entirely in lieu of group presenters, wherein Michael Sheen, Forest Whitaker, Oprah Winfrey, Stanley Tucci, and Peter Saarsgard all presented the Best Actress award to Sandra Bullock for The Blind Side. 

All that to say, should there ever be a year the Academy parts ways with the tradition, it’s this one. It’s possible Anthony Hopkins and Joaquin Phoenix could present the award for Best Actress in Smith’s place, having won Best Actor in 2021 and 2020, respectively. Or, possibly Rami Malek and Gary Oldman from 2019 and 2018. 

In fact, the Academy could very well return to the group format, in which all four previous Best Actor winners, or even Best Actress winners, present the award for Best Actress or any of the other high-profile categories of the night. 

It’s unfortunate, but if Will Smith’s slap has taught us anything, it’s to expect the unexpected. The 95th Academy Awards premiere Sunday, March 12 on ABC at 8 pm ET/ 5 pm PT. Here’s how you can watch the ceremony.

This year’s gift bag for the 2023 Oscar Awards will feature an item from a young rising fashion designer. 14-year-old Amira-Dior Traynham-Artis’ shoe brand, Lane 1 will be a featured item in this year’s gift bag after her online store went live just last year.

Traynham-Artis expressed her shock and excitement during her interview with Good Morning America. It was reported that 75 pairs were ordered by the Academy so they could be distributed to the Oscar nominees. According to the young fashion designer, her management company knew people within the area and she was informed that someone was “inspired by her story” and asked if she wants to be involved in this year’s gift suite.

Out of all the celebrities she’d like to see wearing her shoes, Zendaya is the one she’s most excited about. She also noted other celebrities, such as Skai Jackson, Jenna Ortega, and Marsai Martin, and that she looks forward to seeing a photo of them wearing her sneakers. Fingers crossed that these actresses are also invited to this year’s award event so they’re able to receive these gifts.

“Definitely, definitely Zendaya. I want to see Zendaya so bad. Also, someone who I’ve been thinking about is Skai Jackson, Jenna Ortega, and… I’m not sure I’m saying her name right. Marsai… she was the girl on Black-ish…

“… She’s really cool. She’s an inspiration to a lot of people, including me.”

According to the young fashion designer, her mother influenced her interest in shoes. She was around age 6 when she was first interested in fashion, and after seeing her mother’s interest in shoes, she wanted to emulate that. Later, her mother gave her access to the computer so she could design sneakers.

“My mom, she was just like ‘do you want to make sneakers">money spent on those gifts could have gone to Ukranian refugees.

This year’s Academy Awards will take place at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles and will be broadcast live on ABC on March 12, at 5 pm PT/8 pm ET. 

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After briefly addressing the viral Oscars 2022 moment where Will Smith ascended the stage to slap Chris Rock for making fun of Jada Pinkett Smith’s troubles with hair loss, the comedian has finally chosen to air his thoughts on the controversy and defend his actions even though it is a little too late for any explanations. But what is really rubbing many the wrong way is how he talks about Pinkett Smith and mocks parts of her life that have nothing to do with the whole drama. 

In his new stand-up special, Selective Outrage, on Netflix, Rock explained why he chose to joke about Pinkett Smith’s baldness as well as why she has been a part of his quips for years now. Apparently, back in 2016, when many celebrities boycotted the Oscars for it not being diverse enough, she asked Rock to say no to the offer of hosting the event. And as per Rock, her request actually stemmed from the fact that Will Smith wasn’t nominated for his film Concussion. 

But his monologue about Pinkett Smith didn’t start here — it begins with him picking on the actress openly talking about having an “entanglement” with singer August Alsina back in July 2020 and then doing an episode of her show Red Table Talk with Will Smith to discuss the same publicly.  

“Will Smith practices selective outrage,” said Rock. “Everybody that really knows knows I had nothing to do with that s***. I didn’t have any ‘entanglements’.” He went on to joke about how Pinkett Smith hurt her husband “way more than he hurt me” by having him discuss how he was cheated on while on camera. 

While many have been congratulating Rock for finally addressing the Oscars slap and believe him that dragging Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith through the mud is the right approach, there are those who are not in favor of how the comedian seemingly attacks the latter and even stoops to using words like “bitch” while talking about the actress. 

Some are also defending the Smiths’ decision to have an open relationship and the injustice of Pinkett Smith getting blamed for King Richard star’s actions. 

As expected, Rock’s special has ended up being one divisive topic of debate that will lead to more polarizing opinions as more people watch his stand-up, Selective Outrage, on Netflix. 

Jimmy Kimmel will be back to host the Academy Awards in 2023 for the third time after hosting in both 2017 and 2018. The late-night host will be taking the reins after last year’s “the slap heard around the world” incident which saw Will Smith strike Chris Rock after he joked about Jada Pinkett Smith’s alopecia. Kimmel is going to have to mention this at the ceremony, but just how well will that gag land?

Speaking to Extra about whether or not he will be bringing up the now infamous moment Kimmel said:

“It’s got to come up in some way. You know I don’t want to make light of it necessarily because comedians are mad about it. It’s one of those things that, for a group of people that find everything funny, it’s like not funny you know. … But you have to, just like when they read the wrong winner one year when I hosted the Oscars we had to make mention of that the next year. I think yeah there will be something.”

Kimmel is of course referring to another notorious Oscars blunder when La La Land was mistakenly announced as the winner of Best Picture thanks to a mix-up with the envelopes. It took several minutes and one of the most awkward moments in the award’s history to announce that Moonlight was the actual winner, causing the cast and crew of La La Land to have to vacate the stage.

Kimmel had his own blunder when presenting an award at the 2022 Emmys. He and Will Arnett came up with a gag bit to do when he presented the award for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series to Quinta Brunson.

He lay down on the stage as Brunta gave her speech standing above him, taking a little of the shine away from Brunta’s moment that many were quick to criticize. Asked whether he will host the Oscars lying down or standing up he responded, “I’ll be standing. I have learned my lesson” he said laughing, “I’ll be standing, in fact, I’m going to wear lifts.”

Hosting the Oscars is always a challenge and there have been a number of times when hosts have fallen flat with cringe-worthy jokes and or mean-spirited comments. Having a comedic late-night host is not the worst idea in the world, especially one who has experience in the field, but with so much having happened last year, let’s hope the 2023 Oscars run smoother and slap-free.

It was the slap heard (and watched) round the world, and Chris Rock is still getting mileage out of it.

During a European comedy tour, Rock brought up the incident in which Will Smith slapped the comedian on national television. During a show in Liverpool, England, he asked the audience, as reported by Deadline, “Did that sh*t hurt? Goddamn right…The motherf*cker hit me over a bullsh*t joke, the nicest joke I ever told.” 

This year’s Academy Awards have gone down in infamy for Smith’s bad decision. On a night when he should have been celebrated for finally taking home the Oscar for Best Performance by an Actor in a Lead Role for his work in King Richard, all anyone talks about is “The Slap.” At the awards show in March, Rock, the host of the 94th Oscars, made a joke at the expense of Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, who suffers from the skin condition alopecia. Smith seemed to initially laugh at the joke before charging the stage to slap the comedian. After returning to his seat, Smith yelled obscenities at Rock, all on national television. 

Smith has since apologized for his behavior and resigned from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, but it’s apparently still too soon for most fans. For the time being, he’s remained relatively quiet. But, of course, this is Hollywood, and it’ll all be forgotten when the Fresh Prince has his next blockbuster hit. 

Meanwhile, Rock is still talking about his awkward Oscars moment. In May, an audience member tackled Dave Chappelle on stage during his set at the Hollywood Bowl for the Netflix Is a Joke Fest. Rock took to the stage in the aftermath and quipped to the audience, “Was that Will Smith?”

Comedians Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle are set to co-headline an unforgettable night of stand-up comedy this fall. Slated to appear at The O2 Arena in London, Rock and Chappelle look to bring their unique senses of humor across the pond on Saturday, Sept. 3. As of now, the legendary pair only seem to be performing for one hilarious evening, but as we move closer to showtime, perhaps that will change.

Regardless of the timeframe, it’s clear that both comedians will have no shortage of new material to surprise fans with come September. And, oddly enough, both have been linked to what could possibly go down as the most surprising celebrity moment in recent memory. Who could forget Chris Rock’s infamous night at the Oscars earlier this year, when the disgruntled actor (and eventual Best Actor winner) Will Smith accosted Chris Rock on stage for the whole world to see?

To put it plainly, Smith slapped the hell out of Rock — it wasn’t pretty. Yet somehow, the actor went on to win an Oscar for his performance in King Richard, as Hollywood sat stupefied (and, ominously, applauding) directly on the heels of Smith’s inappropriate act of downright violence.

Soon after, Chappelle was attacked on stage during the Netflix is a Joke comedy festival in Los Angeles, California. Some cited Will Smith’s initial breach of personal space to be an incredible specific catalyst for Chappelle’s attacker and one that could incite future violence towards comedians around the globe. Chapelle has been under fire in recent years for his insistence on telling transphobic jokes.

Both Rock and Chappelle look to overcome that looming danger with their international comedy show, and one can only hope that their humor can heal all wounds through linguistic levity.

Jada Pinkett Smith dedicated the latest episode of her Facebook web series, Red Table Talk, to those who struggle with the hair loss disorder alopecia. As we all know now, the 50-year-old actress suffers from it herself.

But because Pinkett Smith’s diagnosis became common knowledge after her husband, Will Smith, slapped Chris Rock at the 2022 Academy Awards ceremony for making a G.I. Jane joke in reference to her bald head, she opened the episode by meaningfully breaking her silence on the incident between the two men.

Pinkett Smith said that since what transpired during the Oscars, thousands of people have reached out to her with their stories. But before getting too far, she addressed the elephant in the room.

“Now, about Oscar night,” Pinkett Smith said. “My deepest hope is that these two intelligent, capable men have an opportunity to heal, talk this out and reconcile. With the state of the world today, we need ’em both. And we all actually need one another more than ever.”

“Until then, Will and I are continuing to do what we have done for the last 28 years — and that’s keep figuring out this thing called life together,” she added, thanking viewers for listening.

Since that fateful slap, Smith has seen a few career setbacks. In addition to being forced to resign from the Academy and being banned from the institution for a decade, several of his projects have been delayed or set back, including his film Emancipation, the Netflix action comedy Fast and Loose being pulled from active development, and Bad Boys 4 being put on hold. Though, Sony CEO Tom Rothman recently stated that the latter had nothing to do with the controversy.

At any rate, if there was any good to come out of the Oscars incident, it’s that it has put a spotlight on the difficult condition that Pinkett Smith and millions of others struggle with. You can watch the latest episode of Red Table Talk above.

Chris Rock says he’s not going to comment on being slapped on stage by Will Smith at the 94th Academy Awards unless he gets paid. Per Desert Sun, Rock is on tour with his comedy show Ego Death and made the remark during a performance in Palm Springs, California, telling the audience:

I’m OK, I have a whole show, and I’m not talking about that until I get paid. Life is good. I got my hearing back.

The comedian stuck to his script and cracked jokes about Hilary Clinton and the Kardashians, as well as Meghan Markle and the British royal family. Rock studiously avoided the topic of the incident that took place at the 2022 Oscars where he was slapped by Will Smith after making a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s alopecia-induced baldness.

Rock did not press charges, nor has he commented on the slap. However, his younger brother Tony Rock has been openly critical of Smith. Comedian Paul Rodriguez, who co-starred with Smith in Ali, alleged that he experienced bullying from Smith daily while shooting the film Echoing Rodriguez’s sentiment, actor Harry Lennix published an op-ed in Variety, describing Smith as a “bully” and urging him to return his best actor statuette. Moreover, 9-time Oscar host Billy Crystal characterized Smith’s attack on Rock as “an assault.”

For his part, Smith received staunch from Whoopi Goldberg, a governor of the Academy. He was also comforted by filmmaker Tyler Perry and Academy Award winner Denzel Washington, who Smith quoted in his acceptance speech for the best actor Oscar he won shortly after he slapped Rock.

The King Richard star resigned from the Academy on April 1. This was followed by an announcement from the Academy on April 8 that Smith is banned from attending the Oscars for the next decade.

If Rock is serious about getting paid to talk about his experience at the 2022 Oscars, expect to see him discussing it somewhere big soon.

Actor Harry Lennix is urging Will Smith to return his best actor Oscar to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences after slapping Chris Rock at the award ceremony on March 27.

In an Op/Ed for Variety, Lennix called Smith “a bully” and accused the Academy of enabling the King Richard star by failing to have him escorted out of the auditorium and levying an impotent sanction that he says is little more than a “time out”.

Lennix wrote:

The stain on the Motion Picture Academy cannot be easily remediated. The only hope for a justifiable grace must involve Smith voluntarily returning his award for best actor.

There was tangible outrage in Lennix’s words as he chastised everyone who gave the best actor winner a standing ovation after Smith had “committed an assault in front of their eyes.”

Lennix stated his belief that Smith is not worthy of the honor of an Academy Award because he had created an “existential crisis” for the organization. He acknowledged and approved of Smith’s resignation from the Academy on April 1 but thinks that a 10-year ban from attending the Oscars is inadequate. Lennix suggested that more actions are needed to put right Smith’s errors.

The internet was quick to clap back at Lennix for his Op/Ed.

One commented on Lennix’s of Joss Whedon, even after allegations of abuse came to light about the director.

Another suggested Lennix was motivated by envy of Smith’s achievements.

Adrienne Lawrence, the host of The Young Turks, also rebuked Lennix, suggesting he was positioning himself in the narrative for attention:

A Twitter exchange between editors at Variety seemed to agree that the publication of Lennix’s Op/Ed was tone-deaf. Clayton Davis, Senior Awards Editor and Oscars-Emmys Analyst tweeted:

It seems like with Will Smith reg from the Academy and the ten-year ban, the saga may be winding to a close, but as with everything we’ll just have to see.