Oscars: Will Smith slaps Chris Rock; 'CODA' wins Best Picture
Will Smith, right, hits presenter Chris Rock onstage at the Oscars on Sunday at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. Credit: AP / Chris Pizzello
In what’s sure to go down as an Oscar first, Will Smith struck presenter Chris Rock in the face on live television at Sunday's 94th Academy Awards.
“That,” said a confused and visibly shaken Rock after the altercation, “was the greatest night in the history of television.”
In the middle of a ceremony that initially felt like a referendum on the Oscars’ relevance — a recent history of plummeting ratings, an onslaught of competition from streaming services — a moment of unexpected violence overshadowed everything. Rock, presenting the Oscar for documentary feature (Questlove’s “Summer of Soul” won the award), had made a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith, possibly appearing in “G.I. Jane 2” because of her close-shaved head. (The actress has alopecia, a hair-loss condition.) After the punch, the telecast cut the sound, but Will Smith could be seen angrily yelling obscenities and the words “keep my wife's name out your ... mouth” at Rock.
The actor, who later in the evening won his first Oscar for his acclaimed turn as tennis coach Richard Williams — father to champions Venus and Serena Williams — in the biopic “King Richard,” delivered a speech so emotional, tearful and messy that the telecast at one point cut the visual feed.
"In this business you gotta be able to have people disrespecting you. And you gotta smile and you gotta pretend like that’s OK,” Smith said. Without mentioning his assault on Rock, Smith apologized to the Academy and his fellow nominees. “I hope the Academy invites me back,” he said before leaving the stage.
After the show, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences issued a statement saying it “does not condone violence of any form," reports The Associated Press.
The Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement that it was aware of the incident.
This image released by Apple TV+ shows Troy Kotsur, left, and Marlee Matlin in a scene from "CODA." Credit: AP
“The incident involved one individual slapping another,” the statement read. “The individual involved has declined to file a police report. If the involved party desires a police report at a later date, LAPD will be available to complete an investigative report.”
On any other night, the biggest news would have been the best picture award to “CODA,” a feel-good drama about an aspiring singer from a deaf family. The win marked the first time the top Oscar went to a movie from a streaming service, AppleTV+, and handed a defeat to Netflix, which has been gunning for that award for years and seemed to have a chance with its Western drama “The Power of the Dog.”
Still, that film’s director, Jane Campion, became the third woman to win in her category.
The Oscars marked a number of other historic milestones as well. Ariana DeBose, who played the proudly Puerto Rican spitfire Anita in Steven Spielberg’s ”West Side Story,” won the Oscar for best supporting actress and became the first openly queer woman of color to win an acting Oscar of any kind.
“To anybody who has ever questioned your identity — ever, ever, ever — or you find yourself living in the gray spaces,” DeBose said in her acceptance speech, “I promise you this: There is indeed a place for us.”
Troy Kotsur, who plays a deaf fisherman in “CODA,” became the first deaf winner of the Oscar for supporting actor and delivered his rambunctious speech in sign language that was read by an interpreter.
“I just wanted to say that this is dedicated to the deaf community, the CODA [child of deaf adults] community and the disabled community” Kotsur said. “This is our moment.”
The show was intent on running faster and on time, though it didn’t work. Despite an outcry from Hollywood professionals, the Academy kept to its promise to hand out eight Oscars before the broadcast speeches by the winners — in such categories as sound and film editing — were edited mostly seamlessly into the show. Nevertheless, the show ran well past 11 p.m.
Meanwhile, politics and hot-button issues reared their heads, as Oscar viewers have learned to expect. Amy Schumer joked that she and her female co-hosts Wanda Sykes and Regina Hall were hired “because it’s cheaper than hiring one man.” And all three taunted the state of Florida for its so-called "Don’t Say Gay" legislation by repeatedly chanting the word “gay,” which earned enthusiastic applause from the crowd.
There were also nods to Russia’s war on Ukraine. The actress Mila Kunis, who is of Ukrainian descent, delivered a curiously delicate speech on the subject, never mentioning the name of the imperiled country but saluting “those who find the strength to keep fighting through unimaginable darkness.” Later came 30 seconds of silence and a screen with text that addressed the dire situation in Ukraine.
“Resources are scarce and we — collectively as a global community — can do more,” the message read. “We ask you to support Ukraine in any way you are able. #StandWithUkraine.”
When the dust settled, “Dune” emerged as the night’s big winner with six Oscars, including for score, visual effects and cinematography.
Most Popular
Top Stories
