The Academy is facing backlash for allowing Will Smith to collect his Best Actor gong after he slapped Chris Rock – and stars who clapped the actor are being called out for their hypocrisy.
On Monday, there were calls for Smith to be stripped of his Oscar because the assault breaks a new code of conduct drawn up by The Academy in the wake of #MeToo movement and the appalling crimes of Harvey Weinstein.
Now, the Academy has held emergency talks over Zoom about stripping Smith of the award, but Oscar bosses are said to be split over whether to take the actor’s trophy for his role in ‘King Richard.’
Earlier Monday, the Academy had only released a statement in a tweet saying that it ‘does not condone violence in any form,’ outraging many on social media.
Rosie O’Donnell replied to the Academy’s tweet with a frustration many have expressed on social media, asking ‘then why did you do NOTHING ?’
Millions of viewers who witnessed the slap on Sunday night have called out the blatant hypocrisy – asking why the actor was even allowed to stay at the event, much less collect his award while talking about love in his speech.
‘We should never get to a place where we sit and watch a movie star hit someone on global television then, moments later, get a standing ovation while talking about love,’ former First Lady of California Maria Shriver tweeted just hours after the incident.
On Monday morning, Today show host Craig Melvin slammed Smith for aiding ‘this long-held perception that men of color can’t control their rage and anger.’
‘It was really disappointing,’ Melvin said. ‘If you’re rearing a boy, especially in this country, you spend so much time talking to our kids about keeping your hands yourself and this long health perception that man of color can’t control their rage and their anger and to see someone who’s been that beloved for decades – it was troubling on so many levels.’
The Academy is under fire after Will Smith, 53, slapped presenter Chris Rock onstage at the Oscars Sunday, but was allowed to remain at the ceremony and accept his award
The morning-after mood was far more somber, with the Academy saying in a tweet that it ‘does not condone violence in any form’ – but possible action against Will Smith was not mentioned
Minutes later, Rosie O’Donnell replied to the Academy’s tweet with a frustration many have expressed on social media, asking ‘then why did you do NOTHING ?’
Co-host Tom Llamas added that there is ‘so much more to this story.’
‘I agree with you about the violence you’re 100% right, but Will Smith and his wife had been the butt of so many jokes for the last year and I wonder how much of that was there too just bubbling.’
And Melvin added, ‘As you said it’s never about the thing.’
On Monday morning, Today show host Craig Melvin slammed Smith for aiding ‘this long-held perception that men of color can’t control their rage and anger’
Despite the backlash, some are still openly praising Smith, like actress Tiffany Haddish who put the blame on the slap squarely on Rock, calling him ‘messy’ and defending the newly minted Oscar winner for ‘protecting his wife’.
‘I think Chris was messy,’ the Girls’ Trip star told the Los Angeles Times. ‘As a woman who had a husb, I wish my husb wld have stood up 4 me the way (Will) stood up for (Jada). That’s what every woman wants, right? She was hurt. And he protected his wife. And that’s what a man is supposed to do.’
The incident on Sunday night was so outrageous the audience and millions of viewers initially thought it was a prank.
But when Smith returned to his seat, he began yelling repeatedly at Rock: ‘Keep my wife’s name out of your f***ing mouth’ and the room grew tense.
Many took to social media to demand why the actor wasn’t immediately hauled away from the event, pointing out hypocrisy in Hollywood.
Comedian Nikki Glasser tweeted that Sunday’s Oscars proved that Hollywood is still doing what it does best, ‘protecting and celebrating disgusting behavior.’
‘Tonight’s Oscars proved that Hollywood is alive and well, still doing what it does best: protecting and celebrating disgusting behavior!’ Glasser tweeted.
‘Tonight’s Oscars proved that Hollywood is alive and well, still doing what it does best: protecting and celebrating disgusting behavior!’ Nikki Glasser tweeted
Director Rob Reiner demanded that the actor apologize to Chris Rock. ‘There is no excuse for what he did. He’s lucky Chris is not filing assault charges. The excuses he made tonight were bulls**t’
Many took to social media to demand why the actor wasn’t immediately hauled away from the event, pointing out hypocrisy in Hollywood
Some demanded to why he wasn’t escorted form the building.
‘Sorry, but Will Smith should have been escorted out of the building,’ Mark Ward tweeted. ‘God did not ‘call on you’ to hit anyone over a tasteless joke. This is the height of hypocrisy in Hollywood. #Oscars2022′
In a since deleted tweet, director Judd Apatow said that he ‘could have killed’ Rock, describing his actions as ‘pure out of control rage’.
‘He could have killed him. That’s pure out of control rage and violence. They’ve heard a million jokes about them in the last three decades.
‘They are not freshmen in the world of Hollywood and comedy. He lost his mind.’
Addressing the conflict, comedian Judd, 54, slammed Will in a now-deleted tweet and said that he ‘could have killed’ Chris, describing his actions as ‘pure out of control rage’
Criticism: Judd Apatow has claimed Will Smith ‘could have killed’ Chris Rock when he slapped him on stage at the Oscars after Chris made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith
But despite the backlash, some are still openly praising Smith, like actress Tiffany Haddish who put the blame on the slap squarely on Rock, calling him ‘messy’ and defending the newly minted Oscar winner for ‘protecting his wife’
Director Rob Reiner demanded that the actor apologize to Chris Rock.
‘Will Smith owes Chris Rock a huge apology,’ Director Rob Reiner wrote. ‘There is no excuse for what he did. He’s lucky Chris is not filing assault charges. The excuses he made tonight were bulls**t’.
The incident on Sunday night was so outrageous the audience and millions of viewers initially thought it was a prank.
But when Smith returned to his seat, he began yelling repeatedly at Rock: ‘Keep my wife’s name out of your f***ing mouth’ and the room grew tense.
Less than an hour later, he became only the fifth black actor in history to collect the Best Actor for his portrayal of Richard Williams, the father who raised tennis champions Venus and Serena Williams.
Collecting his Oscar, tears poured down his face as he apologized to The Academy and the audience – but not to Chris Rock, who was presenting the award for Best Documentary.
Smith was also seen being comforted and calmed by friends Bradley Cooper and Denzel Washington during an ad break after he marred the greatest moment of his career.
Rock covers his jaw after being slapped in the face but went on to announce the winner for best documentary after a very awkward pause
Rock, 57, declined LAPD’s offer to file a police report against Smith after being slapped in the face at Oscars.
Los Angeles Police Department released a statement about the incident after the show confirming Rock, 57, would have to make a complaint for an investigation to take place.
‘LAPD investigative entities are aware of an incident between two individuals during the Academy Awards program,’ the LAPD said in a press release after the show ended Sunday.
Smith, 53, could still face a misdemeanor charge for battery should Rock have a change of heart.
On Monday, the Academy held emergency talks over Zoom about stripping Smith of his award, but Oscar bosses are said to be split over whether to take the actor’s trophy for his role in ‘King Richard’ because the assault breaks a new code of conduct drawn up by The Academy in the wake of #MeToo movement and the appalling crimes of Harvey Weinstein.
Members, including Smith himself, have agreed to behave in a way that never violates ‘the integrity of the Academy by their actions’ or face suspension or expulsion. Critics are clear that the actor’s live TV attack meets that definition – but his supporters insist he ‘should be able to hold on to it’.
A source told The Sun: ‘Once the ceremony was over they called in key members to hold an emergency meeting about what action they should take.
‘There have been calls to have Will stripped of his Best Actor gong. They cannot be seen to be condoning violence in any way and there are some people in the Academy who believe they should remove the award from him to make a point. Others, however, believe he should be allowed to hold on to it’.
Chris Rock, who has not been seen since the attack, has been offered a ‘package of after care’ including a counsellor if he needs one, the insider said. The comedian has told the Los Angeles Police Department that he does not want to press charges.
Shock: The actor, 53, shocked viewers when he stormed on stage and smacked the comedian, 57, after he jokingly said Jada’s shaved haircut made her look like G.I. Jane
Show of unity: Will and Jada held hands throughout the ceremony after the shock slap
Los Angeles Police Department released a statement about the incident after the show confirming Chris Rock, 57, would have to make a complaint for an investigation to take place
After the actor strode out on stage and slapped Chris with an open right hand, the comedian staggered and exclaimed ‘wow, Will Smith just smacked the s**t out of me.’
Smith, visibly emotional, walked back to his seat in the audience and shouted: ‘Keep my wife’s name out of your f***ing mouth.’
The exchange was muted on a delayed telecast in much of the US, but was aired in full to some international audiences.
Smith was still allowed to make his acceptance speech as he won Best Actor and, with tears streaming down his face, he appeared to defend hitting Chris because he said he wanted to protect his family.
In what should have been the greatest moment of his career, Smith accepted the award and said: ‘You gotta be able to take abuse, and you gotta be able to have people talk crazy about you. In this business, you gotta be able to have people disrespecting you and you gotta smile and you gotta pretend like that`s OK.
‘Denzel (Washington) said to me a few minutes ago, he said, ‘At your highest moment, be careful. That’s when the devil comes for you.’
It’s like I want to be a vessel for love. I want to say thank you to Venus and Serena. I want to say thank you to Venus and Serena and the entire Williams family for entrusting me with your story. That’s what I want to do. I want to be an ambassador of that kind of love and care and concern.
He added that being a Hollywood star means you should be able to ‘have people disrespecting you and that ‘you just gotta smile and pretend it’s ok,’ he said.
But he added that he admired Richard Williams who ‘was a fierce defender of his family.’
‘I’m being called on in my life to love people and to protect people and to be a river to my people,’ he explained.
Will went on to issue a tearful partial apology for his emotional outburst, but did not apologize to Chris.
Could Will Smith be stripped of his Oscar? The Academy faces pressure to respond after the King Richard star broke the Academy’s Code of Conduct drawn up during Me Too Movement
‘I want to apologize to the Academy, I want to apologize to all my fellow nominees. This is a beautiful moment,’ he said.
‘Art imitates life. I look like the crazy father.’
Following the incident, Will appeared to be in good spirits as he went to the Vanity Fair Oscars party, where he danced, rapped to his hits and posed with his award.
Speaking at the party, an NBC reporter claimed Chris and Will would have ‘some sort of public make-up’ or ‘reconciliation’ at the post-Oscars bash following the physical altercation.
And rapper P Diddy earlier offered to mediate between Chris and Will, as he said that the conflict would be solved but that they would ‘move on with love’ for the time being.
At the star-studded party, Will told the Hollywood Reporter ‘it’s been a beautiful night’ as he did not shy away from celebrating after the controversy.
Happy: Will Smith appeared to be in excellent spirits as he cheered and danced the night away at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party
Partying: The Hollywood star, 53, did not appear to have a care in the world as he was seen grinning and dancing with his Oscar award
Fun times: Will appeared to be having an excellent time not long after the controversy at the post-Oscars party
Several celebs congratulated Smith on his award at the afterparty, adding that they were sorry about what happened, referring to incident with Rock. With that awkwardness out of the way, the stars moved on to happier topics.
He was mobbed by people filming the scene and squeezing next to him for selfies.
‘Congratulations Will Smith, I love you!’ shouted DJ D-Nice as he spun the medley.
‘Daily Show’ host Trevor Noah gave Smith a long hug, whispering in his ear as Smith laughed.
The mob followed as Smith and his entourage made their way across the party. Smith clanked Oscar statuettes with other winners and stopped to accept congratulations and pose for photos with Timothée Chalamet.
At the Governors Ball, which takes place upstairs from the Dolby Theatre immediately after the show, both joy and tension were in the room. Many were excited to eat, drink and get their Oscars engraved.
Many more were still processing what had happened on stage, though few were ready to express their feelings about it publicly. Rock did not appear at either party.
Kodi Smit-McPhee, a supporting actor nominee for ‘The Power of the Dog,’ said he was happy for best director winner Jane Campion and excited to celebrate, but ‘still calculating what happened’ with Smith and Rock.
‘I’m going to have to go home and do my research,’ Smit-McPhee said.
Tracee Ellis-Ross stopped to have a conversation with Questlove, whose documentary ‘Summer of Soul’ won in the aftermath of the incident. She told him that he´d done beautifully and that she was ‘really sorry that happened.’
At the Vanity Fair party before Smith’s arrival, Andrew Garfield, who lost best actor to Smith, was introduced to Serena Williams, an executive producer on ‘King Richard,’ the biopic about her and sister Venus that won Smith his Oscar for playing their father.
Smiling: Will had the full support of his family as he celebrated his Oscar win on Sunday night, hours after the slap
Man of the moment: The actor was greeted by a crowd of cheering stars while wife Jada was by his side after he slapped Rock for making a joke about Jada’s hair loss
Popular: Will was pictured in the middle of the crowd, dancing and cheering with fellow stars
By his side: Jada kept close to Will, who was pictured talking to actress Lupita Nyong’o
‘Nice to meet you,’ Garfield said. ‘I’m so sorry about tonight.’
That out of the way, they hopped topics to talk about tennis.
Other corners of the parties were like any other Oscar night.
The Elton John AIDS Foundation resumed its viewing party on the 30th anniversary of its first. Brandi Carlile performed at the event in West Hollywood hosted by Lady Gaga, Billy Porter and Eric McCormack.
At the Governor’s Ball, Anthony Hopkins danced as actor Riz Ahmed chatted with ‘Dune’ director Denis Villeneuve. John Travolta posed with people taking selfies and Emilia Jones looked on as her ‘CODA’ co-star Troy Kotsur got his statuette engraved while ‘Dancing Queen’ played in the background.
Before Smith arrived at the Vanity Fair Party, Bill Murray, wearing a beret, bopped up and down on a mostly empty dance floor to Lady Gaga’s ‘Poker Face.’ Sofia Coppola guided father Francis Ford Coppola by the arm through the crowds.
Public support: Rapper Jaden Smith apparently applauded his fathe after the actor slapped comedian Chris Rock in the face during the Academy Awards
Sweet: Willow also posted a photo of Jada and Jaden sharing a hug backstage
‘Game of Thrones’ actor Sophie Turner and her husband, musician Joe Jonas, hung out near the bar. Actor Isla Fisher, leaving the party with her husband Sacha Baron Cohen, shouted to the arriving Wanda Sykes that she ‘killed it’ as one of three Oscar hosts.
Billie Eilish and Kotsur smiled as they held their first Oscars and chilled with friends as the party began to thin out.
Other winners with far less famous faces reveled in the instant invitation the trophy gets you to the Vanity Fair party, the nearly annual gala – back this year after a pandemic year off – hosted by the magazine’s editor Radhika Jones at an indoor-outdoor space between the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts and Beverly Hills City Hall.
As always, guests gorged on In-N-Out burgers, the traditional fare at a party that is all about cutting loose and letting go of tension.
OSCARS 2022: WINNERS
BEST PICTURE
Belfast (Focus Features)
Coda (Apple) – WINNER
Don’t Look Up (Netflix)
Drive My Car (Janus Films/Sideshow)
Dune (Warner Bros)
King Richard (Warner Bros)
Licorice Pizza (MGM/United Artists Releasing)
Nightmare Alley (Searchlight Pictures)
The Power Of The Dog (Netflix)
West Side Story (20th Century Studios)
History: Coda became the first ever streaming film to win Best Picture as it upset The Power Of The Dog
ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Jessie Buckley – The Lost Daughter
Ariana DeBose – West Side Story – WINNER
Judi Dench – Belfast
Kirsten Dunst- The Power Of The Dog
Aunjanue Ellis – King Richard
ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Ciaran Hinds – Belfast
Troy Kotsur – Coda – WINNER
Jesse Plemons – The Power Of The Dog
J.K Simmons – Being The Ricardos
Kodi Smitt-McPhee – The Power Of The Dog
Amazing: Troy Kotsur became the first male actor to win an Oscar for Coda
COSTUME DESIGN
Cruella (Jenny Beavan) – WINNER
Cyrano (Massimo Cantini Parrini)
Dune (Jacqueline West)
Nightmare Alley (Luis Sequeira)
West Side Story (Paul Tazewell)
ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND
Belfast
Dune – WINNER
No Time To Die
The Power Of The Dog
West Side Story
ORIGINAL SCORE
Don’t Look Up (Nicholas Britell)
Dune (Hans Zimmer) – WINNER
Encanto (Germaine Franco)
Parallel Mothers (Alberto Iglesias)
The Power of the Dog (Jonny Greenwood)
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
CODA (Sian Heder) – WINNER
Drive My Car (Ryusuke Hamaguchi & Takamasa Oe)
Dune (Eric Roth, Jon Spaihts & Denis Villeneuve)
The Lost Daughter (Maggie Gyllenhaal)
The Power of the Dog (Jane Campion)
Shining moment: Sian Heder earned Best Adapted screenplay for the film as it went three for three on the night
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Belfast (Kenneth Branagh) – WINNER
Don’t Look Up (Adam McKay & David Sirota)
Licorice Pizza (Paul Thomas Anderson)
King Richard (Zach Baylin)
The Worst Person in the World (Joachim Trier & Eskil Vogt)
ANIMATED SHORT FILM
Affairs Of The Heart
Bestia
Box Ballet
Robin Robin
The Windshield Wiper – WINNER
BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM
Ala Kachuu — Take and Run
The Dress
The Long Goodbye – WINNER
On My Mind
Please Hold
INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM
Drive My Car – WINNER
Flee
The Hand of God
Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom
The Worst Person in the World
PRODUCTION DESIGN
Dune (Zsuzsanna Sipos & Patrice Vermette) – WINNER
Nightmare Alley (Tamara Deverell & Shane Vieau)
The Power of the Dog (Grant Major & Amber Richards)
The Tragedy of Macbeth (Stefan Dechant & Nancy Haigh)
West Side Story (Rena DeAngelo & Adam Stockhausen)
ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Javier Bardem – Being the Ricardos
Benedict Cumberbatch – The Power of the Dog
Andrew Garfield – tick, tick… BOOM!
Will Smith – King Richard – WINNER
Denzel Washington – The Tragedy of Macbeth
ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Jessica Chastain – The Eyes of Tammy Faye – WINNER
Olivia Colman – The Lost Daughter
Penélope Cruz – Parallel Mothers
Nicole Kidman – Being the Ricardos
Kristen Stewart – Spencer
All eyes on her: Jessica Chastain finally won her first Best Actress trophy for her titular role in The Eyes Of Tammy Faye
DIRECTING
Kenneth Branagh – Belfast
Paul Thomas Anderson – Licorice Pizza
Jane Campion – The Power of the Dog – WINNER
Ryûsuke Hamaguchi – Drive My Car
Steven Spielberg – West Side Story
FILM EDITING
Don’t Look Up (Hank Corwin)
Dune (Joe Walker) – WINNER
King Richard (Pamela Martin)
The Power of the Dog (Peter Sciberras)
Tick, Tick… Boom! (Myron Kerstein & Andrew Weisblum)
MAKEUP AND HAIR STYLING
Coming 2 America
Cruella
Dune
The Eyes Of Tammy Faye – WINNER
House Of Gucci
ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
Encanto – WINNER
Flee
Luca
The Mitchells VS The Machine
Raya And The Lost Dragon
ORIGINAL SONG
Be Alive — Beyoncé Knowles-Carter & Darius Scott (King Richard)
Dos Oruguitas — Lin-Manuel Miranda (Encanto)
Down to Joy — Van Morrison (Belfast)
No Time to Die — Billie Eilish & Finneas O’Connell (No Time to Die) – WINNER
Somehow You Do— Diane Warren (Four Good Days)
Not a bad guy: Billie Eilish and brother FINNEAS earned Best Original Song for No Time To Die from the James Bond film of the same name
DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
Audible
Lead Me Home
The Queen of Basketball – WINNER
Three Songs for Benazir
When We Were Bullies
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Ascension
Attica
Flee
Summer of Soul (Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised) – WINNER
Writing with Fire
VISUAL EFFECTS
Dune – WINNER
Free Guy
No Time To Die
Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings
Spider-Man: No Way Home
Epic: Dune swept the technical awards as Greig Fraser is shown accepting the Best Cinematography gong
CINEMATOGRAPHY
Dune (Greig Fraser) – WINNER
Nightmare Alley (Dan Lausten)
The Power of the Dog (Ari Wegner)
The Tragedy of Macbeth (Bruno Delbonnel)
West Side Story (Janusz Kaminski)
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