The Academy Awards 2022 got a major kick in the butt when Will Smith decided to approach Chris Rock onstage with his fists. And while there has been much talk of the set-to today, the Oscars from this year will probably be remembered for the incident, despite having some other big moments.
It was actually the year Will Smith finally won a best actor gong – for King Richard – after making films for 30 years. It’s also the year the first openly queer woman of colour won an Oscar, as Ariana DeBose landed a best supporting actress statuette for West Side Story.
But all of that paled when compared with the moment Chris Rock made a crass joke about Jada Pinkett-Smith’s baldness – down to a condition called alopecia – making her ideal to star as GI Jane 2, a role for a woman with a shaved head. Jada’s husband Will mounted the stage and made his feelings known.
And as it’s 2022 – 92 years after the Academy Awards first started – there were photos, memes and more shared within seconds of the shocking moment the best actor’s palm connected with the host’s cheek with a resounding thump. Here is our pick of the best reactions to the bizarre event.
First up, Netflix social chap Jarett Wieselman @JarettSays posted this image from the Vanity Fair viewing party. Shock and awe on all the faces – except Jason Bateman’s.
The Arrested Development star, on the left, appears to be laughing rather than stunned by the incident.
Next up was a clip of the actor Lupita Nyong’o sitting just behind Will Smith as he allegedly shouted obscenities at Rock. Her reaction – as tweeted by Moto Dave @majiddave – makes it clear she would love some popcorn to go with the show.
When it comes to excitement, watching the great and the good of Hollywood backslapping isn’t for everyone, especially in times of war, Covid and a cost of living crisis. But it turns out, there is interest when it all goes a bit wrong.
Jacob King @jacoboracle was watching the bottom line for the Academy, and they have to be pretty pleased with this result.
There were those, like Benji @CuleBen, who made jokes out of the reactions of well-known stars – although it’s not clear if Zendaya and Andrew Garfield did take the exact moment of the slap to text their mates.
Nicola Kidman was all of us when she reacted in a genuinely shocked way to what was unfolding onstage. Entertainment Weekly writer Devan Coggan @devancoggan served up a slice of her meme-worthy Oscars appearance.
Although Will Smith later apologised for the incident as he accepted his Oscar, people are divided over what they believe was the correct reaction – and whether Smith should be let off. At least Twitter showed the rest of us how to mark a night to remember.
