Most assumed it was a staged comedy bit. There was no way the well-liked, effortlessly cool Will Smith would’ve stormed the stage to strike comedian Chris Rock on live TV over a joke. But it was not a joke and the repercussions are still being felt.
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“Officially, we don’t want you to leave. We want you to stay.” That was the message that Will Packer, the producer of this year’s Oscars, came rushing out to deliver to Will Smith less than 45 minutes after the A-list nominee had struck presenter Chris Rock on the Dolby Theatre stage. For those who …
Amy Schumer’s got nothing. As in, nothing more to say about the 2022 Oscars — or so she said at her first stand-up gig after co-hosting the chaotic awards show a little more than a week ago. “I really don’t know what to say. I have no jokes about it,” she said during her “Aces of Comedy” show …
Like many people on Oscar night, Kenny Rock watched what happened to his brother Chris Rock through a video posted on social media. Prior to viewing it, he thought maybe the scene of actor Will Smith slapping his brother was staged. But when he saw the video and heard Smith cursing, he knew it was …
Five days after actor Will Smith slapped presenter Chris Rock during the live Oscars telecast, the unscripted drama that has consumed Hollywood sped toward its denouement, when Smith announced his resignation from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. In Friday’s resignation letter, …
After Will Smith slapped comedian Chris Rock on stage, Denzel Washington says he prayed with Smith. “I don’t want to say what we talked about, but there but for the grace of God go any of us,” Washington said as part of a discussion with Bishop T.D. Jakes on Saturday, according to news outlet the …
Chris Rock might be taking the high road in the aftermath of that Oscars slap, but the same cannot be said for some of his fans. On Thursday, returning to the stage for his third comedy show at Boston’s Wilbur Theatre, the comic was met with “F— Will Smith” from someone in the sold-out audience. …
Oscars producer Will Packer told “Good Morning America” that Los Angeles police were prepared to arrest Will Smith after he slapped Chris Rock during Sunday’s awards ceremony. The officers didn’t make the arrest because Rock declined to press charges, Packer told the ABC program in a recent …
Moments after Will Smith slapped Chris Rock on live television at the Academy Awards, comedian Rock remembered why he was on the Oscars stage and presented the documentary feature award to “Summer of Soul.” But how he did it — by announcing director Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson “and four white guys” …
When Chris Rock stepped onstage at the Wilbur in Boston to kick off his Ego Death World Tour on Wednesday night, he knew there was an issue to address. “How was your weekend?” he asked the sold-out crowd. The question drew a big laugh. Rock didn’t have a great weekend. This was his first gig since …
Days later, Amy Schumer says she’s still reeling from co-hosting what will go down as one of the most intense Oscar nights in history. The comedian, who emceed the 2022 Academy Awards alongside Regina Hall and Wanda Sykes, on Wednesday addressed the moment Will Smith got out of his seat and slapped …
Oscar winner Will Smith will face consequences for slapping comedian Chris Rock onstage at the Oscars on Sunday — despite his apologies. “The View” moderator Whoopi Goldberg said Tuesday she accepts the “King Richard” star’s apology — and that is saying something, considering she is a member of the …
A woman with alopecia, who appeared in a 2009 documentary produced by Chris Rock, condemned the comedian Monday for making a hair joke about Jada Pinkett Smith, who has the same condition. Not long after Will Smith slapped Rock at the Oscars award ceremony Sunday for comparing Pinkett Smith’s shaved …
For Will Smith’s mother, Sunday night was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for several reasons. Amid her joy over her son’s win for best actor, Caroline Smith admitted she was taken aback when her second-oldest child slapped presenter Chris Rock over a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s bald …
Will Smith apologized to Chris Rock on Monday, less than 24 hours after slapping the comedian for telling an ill-conceived joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, during the 94th Academy Awards telecast — an altercation viewed around the world. “Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and …
One day after Will Smith struck Chris Rock across the face during Sunday night’s 94th Academy Awards, the shockwaves from what some were calling “the slap heard around the world” continued to reverberate throughout Hollywood. In the wake of the altercation, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and …
In 2002, Halle Berry made history at the Oscars, becoming the first Black woman to win lead actress, for “Monster’s Ball” — an achievement yet to be duplicated. It was the following year’s Oscars, though, that jumped to mind Sunday during what’s already being called “the slap heard around the …
Veteran Los Angeles Times photographer Myung J. Chun was on assignment at the 94th Oscars on Sunday, capturing the show with three cameras from within the projection booth at the back of the house (along with about 10 other shooters from various outlets). About two hours in, comedian Chris Rock …
Will Smith, who won the Academy Award for lead actor on Sunday moments after slapping Oscars presenter Chris Rock onstage during the live telecast, has put on a united front with his family after the instantly infamous moment. Unexpectedly foreshadowing the attack, the “King Richard” star took to …
It’s a moment that’s already been pored over like the Zapruder film, looked at from various feeds and angles and accounts: Will Smith slapping Chris Rock in the face Sunday night onstage at the Academy Awards. The nightclub-style seating in this year’s stage design may have been created with social …
