The moment then Will Smith beat Chris Rock during the 2022 Academy Awards must be the most scrutinized event in Oscar history, which everyone has an opinion. After the bang, the show had to go on for the three Oscar hosts — Wanda Sykes, Regina Hall and Amy Schumer — but figuring out how to deal with what went down didn’t really begin until the cameras stopped rolling. Even months later Sykes is still strugglingand she opened up about how it felt to see her friend Rock get hit on stage.
Wanda Sykes and Chris Rock have been friends for a long time and appeared together on screen in films such as Pootie Tongs and Down to earth. Sykes had some strong words for Will Smith after he responded to a joke Rock told about Jada Pinkett Smith by going on stage and clapping the comedian on live TV. Sykes talked about to be “traumatized” afterwards, and she told THR it’s something she still hasn’t been able to get over completely:
I should probably talk to someone, to be honest. It was madness. It ruined the night. I felt terrible for my friend [Rock], for his family. It’s just so shit. And who are we for our industry? We all saw what happened and sat there. It’s the craziest thing ever. It reflects where we are in this country as far as the level of civility.
Wanda Sykes is apparently still feeling the effects of what happened to her friend, to the point where she says she should probably talk to someone about it. She said it ruined the night and it’s hard to look back on how everyone reacted to the surreal moment. After the “clap that was heard around the world” everyone was in a state of shock. Denzel Washington pulled Will Smith aside to comfort him. Chris Rock kept his cool and presented the award he was there to present, before leaving the stage and not being seen again on the broadcast.
Will Smith was allowed to remain in the audience, however, and a short time later he was presented with the Oscar for Best Actor for his performance in King Richard. Not only that, but his acceptance speech garnered a standing ovation from the audience, which Sykes and others included Jim Carrey experienced being nauseated. Upshaw’s the actress has expressed that she does not understand why Smith was not escorted from the building after the assault. There was some confusion about what happened behind the scenes after the bang, included whether or not Smith was asked to leavebut eventually it was reported that the SNL alum refused to review.
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air icon publicly apologized to Chris Rock in the days following the Oscar ceremony, but while Jada Pinkett Smith has expressed that she wants two actors to unite, Rock is reportedly focused on his work as he continues to tour and prepare for an upcoming comedy special. His action does not include jokes about the eventeven if he has it mentioned it directly at his shows.
It’s a topic that’s going to continue to be a topic of conversation, as it still affects those who were a part of it, and fans are hoping to get Chris Rock’s take — maybe in a new comedy special one day. In the meantime, check out ours Movie release schedule for 2022 to see what’s coming to theaters soon.
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