It’s been one year since Will Smith slapped Chris Rock onstage at the Oscars on March 27, 2022.
The “slap heard around the world” became an instant pop culture phenomenon as one of the most — if not the most — unhinged, unexpected moments in the prestigious show’s 94-year history.
“Jada, I love you. ‘GI Jane 2,’ can’t wait to see you,” Rock quipped about Jada Pinkett Smith’s bald head while presenting an award — prompting Smith to run onstage and strike him.
“Keep my wife’s name out of your f–king mouth!” Smith infamously shouted at Rock after returning to his seat.
It was later reported that Rock didn’t know Pinkett Smith lived with alopecia, a hair loss disease, even though she has been open about her experience with the condition over the years.
The move resulted in Smith being banned from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for the next 10 years.
Both he and Rock addressed the slap in the following months — each on their own time and terms.
March 27, 2022: Smith gives tearful Oscars acceptance speech
Moments after Smith rushed the stage, he returned to accept his first-ever Oscar for his role in “King Richard.”
He tried to relate the slap to his film character, Venus and Serena Williams’ tennis-coach father Richard, who was a “fierce protector of his family.”
Smith added that he looked like a “crazy father” but “love makes you do crazy things.”
“I want to apologize to the Academy. I want to apologize to all my fellow nominees,” he tearfully stated.
March 27, 2022: Rock decides not to press charges
Oscars producer Will Packer appeared on ABC’s “World News Tonight” just days after the awards show and claimed that Rock “saved” the night by opting not to press charges against his attacker.
“They were saying, ‘This is battery,’ was the word they used in that moment,” Packer said of Los Angeles police officers that were allegedly ready to arrest the “Men in Black” star.
“[The officers] said, ‘We will go get him, we are prepared to get him right now,’” he recalled, referring to Smith.
“You can press charges and we can arrest him,” the cops added, according to Packer.
But Rock was “very dismissive” of that course of action, he said.
“He was like, ‘No, I’m fine,’” the producer recalled. “He was like, ‘No, no, no.’”
March 27, 2022: Smith sings his own songs at Vanity Fair afterparty
Once the Oscars awards ceremony wrapped up, an unpenalized Smith, as well as Pinkett Smith, attended the star-studded Vanity Fair Oscars party, where the rapper played DJ and spun his hit songs “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It” and “Miami.”
Smith danced the night away with his golden statute in hand.
March 28, 2022: Academy ‘condemns’ slap, promises ‘formal review’
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences released a statement about the slap the day after the awards ceremony. Although the AMPA tweeted earlier in the day that it did not “condone violence of any form,” it was the first official comment since the primetime assault.
“The Academy condemns the actions of Mr. Smith,” the statement reiterated. “We have officially started a formal review around the incident and will explore further action and consequences in accordance with our Bylaws, Standards of Conduct and California law.”
March 28: Smith issues Instagram apology
Smith publicly apologized to Rock for the first time the day after the slap. Before taking a months-long break from the spotlight, he penned a lengthy note about the incident on his Instagram account.
“Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive,” he wrote. “My behavior at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable. Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada’s medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally.
“I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong,” he continued. “I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness.
“I would also like to apologize to the Academy, the producers of the show, all the attendees and everyone watching around the world. I would like to apologize to the Williams Family and my King Richard Family. I deeply regret that my behavior has stained what has been an otherwise gorgeous journey for all of us.
“I am a work in progress,” Smith signed off.
March 29, 2022: Pinkett Smith makes cryptic Instagram post
Pinkett Smith seemingly addressed her husband’s violent outburst for the first time via an Instagram post.
“This is a season for healing and I’m here for it,” read text against a peach-hued background.
She would wait until June to directly refer to the slap.
March 30, 2022: Rock addresses slap during Boston stand-up comedy set
Rock stayed mum about the Oscars incident until three days later at his standup comedy show in Boston.
The sold-out crowd greeted the “Everybody Hates Chris” alum with a nearly two-minute standing ovation, which made him misty-eyed.
“I don’t have a bunch of s–t about what happened,” he said of the elephant in the room, explaining that he had already prepared an entire set pre-slap.
“I had like a whole show I wrote before this weekend. I’m still kinda processing what happened. So, at some point, I’ll talk about that s–t,” Rock said.
April 1, 2022: Smith resigns from the Academy
Smith resigned from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as he faced possible suspension or expulsion from the organization due to the incident.
The actor said in a statement he would “fully accept any and all consequences for my conduct” imposed by the Academy’s Board of Governors.
“The list of those I have hurt is long and includes Chris, his family, many of my dear friends and loved ones, all those in attendance, and global audiences at home,” Smith said in his lengthy statement.
The Academy said Smith’s resignation had been accepted minutes after the actor’s letter went public.
Academy President David Rubin claimed in a statement that the organization was still planning to continue its investigation.
“We will continue to move forward with our disciplinary proceedings against Mr. Smith for violations of the Academy’s Standards of Conduct, in advance of our next scheduled board meeting on April 18,” Rubin said.
April 3, 2022: ‘Saturday Night Live’ spoofs the slap
“Saturday Night Live” couldn’t help but get in on the slap heard ’round the world nearly a week after the incident happened.
In a sketch set at the Oscars, “SNL” host Jerrod Carmichael played a seat filler who got the opportunity to meet Smith, played by Chris Redd.
The two launched into a friendly conversation and even took a selfie together until the audio of Rock’s “G.I. Jane 2” joke boomed through the speakers.
The sketch poked fun at Smith’s infamous lines: “Keep my wife’s name out your f–king mouth!” and “Richard Williams was a fierce protector of his family.”
April 8, 2022: Smith banned from the Academy for 10 years
Despite Smith already resigning from the Academy, its board of governors also banned him from attending any Academy events, in person or virtually, and being ineligible for another Oscar until 2032.
That was the first official penalty the Academy issued against Smith since the night of the incident.
In a statement, board president Rubin described Smith’s behavior as “unacceptable and harmful.”
He also admitted that the academy did not “adequately address the situation” during the live telecast.
“I accept and respect the Academy’s decision,” Smith, 53, said in a statement.
June 1, 2022: Pinkett Smith addresses slap on ‘Red Table Talk‘
Pinkett Smith spoke directly to the camera at the beginning of a “Red Table Talk” episode centered around alopecia, the hair loss disease that resulted in the actress shaving her head.
“Considering what I’ve been through with my own health and what happened at the Oscars, thousands have reached out to me with their stories,” she stated on the Facebook Watch show. “I’m using this moment to give our alopecia family an opportunity to talk about what it’s like to have this condition and to inform people about what alopecia actually is.”
“Now, about Oscar night,” Pinkett Smith continued. “My deepest hope is that these two intelligent, capable men [Will and Rock] have an opportunity to heal, talk this out and reconcile.
“The state of the world today, we need them both. And we all actually need one another more than ever. Until then, Will and I are continuing to do what we have done for the last 28 years, and that’s [to] keep figuring out this thing called life together. Thank you for listening.”
July 24 and 25, 2022: Rock addresses slap at two more stand-up shows
“Anyone who says, ‘Words hurt,’ has never been punched in the face,” he told Jersey shore audience.
The next night at Madison Square Garden, Rock declared that he was not the type to play the victim in this kind of situation.
“I’m not a victim, motherf–ker,” he said, adding that he “shook that s–t off” and returned to his craft.
“Yeah, that s–t hurt, motherf–ker,” Rock admitted. “But I shook that s–t off and went to work the next day … I don’t go to the hospital for a paper cut.”
Smith uploaded a nearly 6-minute video to YouTube four months after the slap — an apology that has logged more than 4 million views on the platform.
“I’ve reached out to Chris, and the message that came back is that he is not ready to talk,” said the “King Richard” star. “But when he is, he will reach out.
“So I will say to you, Chris, I apologize to you,” he continued. “My behavior was unacceptable, and I’m here whenever you’re ready to talk.”
He added: “I’m human and I made a mistake and I’m trying not to think of myself as a piece of s–t.”
Smith continued to apologize to other people who were hurt by the slap, including Rock’s mother, Rosalie, and his younger brother, actor Tony Rock, 48.
“I can say to all of you that there is no part of me that thinks that this was the right way to behave in that moment,” Smith asserted. “There’s no part of me that thinks that this is the optimal way to handle a feeling of disrespect or insult.”
July 29, 2022: Smith reflects on ‘horrific night’ of Oscars slap
Smith appeared on Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show With Trevor Noah” for his first late-night interview since the slap.
He told the South African host that he was “going through something” on Oscars night and let it get the best of him.
“I was gone. That was a rage that had been bottled for a really long time,” the “Fresh Prince” star said.
“That was a horrific night as you can imagine,” he added. “There’s many nuances and complexities to it, you know, but at the end of the day, I just — I lost it and I guess what I would say [is] you just never know what somebody’s going through.”
Sept. 2, 2022: Dave Chappelle and Chris Rock slam ‘ugly’ Will Smith
Comedy icon Dave Chappelle and Rock spoke about Will Smith and the slap during the Liverpool, UK, leg of their European stand-up tour.
Rock went first that night, claiming that Smith hit him over “the nicest joke I ever told.”
“Will did the impression of a perfect person for 30 years, and he ripped his mask off and showed us he was as ugly as the rest of us,” Chappelle, who had his own onstage assault in May 2022, added during his set. “Whatever the consequences are … I hope he doesn’t put his mask back on again and lets his real face breathe.”
“I see myself in both men,” he added.
Oct. 1, 2022: Smith’s first post-slap film ‘Emancipation’ praised at screening
Apple TV+’s “Emancipation” was Smith’s first movie to be released since he smacked Rock. The drama starred Smith as a runaway slave named Peter, who found asylum in Louisiana and winds up joining the Union Army.
The film earned praise at a special screening hosted by the NAACP at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s 51st Annual Legislative Conference on Oct. 1, which Smith attended.
Nov. 28, 2022: Will Smith ‘completely understands’ if people ‘aren’t ready’ to watch him in ‘Emancipation’
Just because “Emancipation” was gearing up to be released in December didn’t mean some fans were ready to support Smith again.
In an interview with Fox 5’s “Good Day DC,” Smith said, “I completely understand that if someone is not ready, I would absolutely respect that and allow them their space to not be ready.
“My deepest concern is my team — [director Antoine Fuqua] has done what I think is the greatest work of his entire career,” he added. “My deepest hope is that my actions don’t penalize my team.”
Dec. 2, 2022: ‘Emancipation’ released
“Emancipation” debuted in theaters on Dec. 2 and became available to stream on Apple TV+ on Dec. 9.
Director Antoine Fuqua defended the film’s release amid the controversy surrounding Smith.
“My conversation was always, ‘Isn’t 400 years of slavery, of brutality, more important than one bad moment?’” he told Vanity Fair in November.
“We were in Hollywood, and there’s been some really ugly things that have taken place, and we’ve seen a lot of people get awards that have done some really nasty things,” Fuqua reasoned.
The film’s release window made it eligible for consideration for the then-current awards season.
But many Oscars voters surveyed by The Hollywood Reporter said they were wary of supporting Smith for a Best Actor nod — or any other accolades after the incident.
Lawrence David Foldes, a member of the producers’ branch of Academy voters, emphatically told the outlet that there was “NO F–KING WAY” he’d vote for Smith.
Feb. 14, 2023: Academy president announces ‘crisis team’ to avoid slap-like situation for 2023 Oscars
Academy President Bill Kramer told Time that this year’s Oscars ceremony will have a “crisis team” standing by at any moment in case something slap-esque happens.
“We have a whole crisis team, something we’ve never had before, and many plans in place,” Kramer said. “We’ve run many scenarios. So it is our hope that we will be prepared for anything that we may not anticipate right now but that we’re planning for just in case it does happen.”
He also added that host Jimmy Kimmel will be a helpful assist and manage unplanned moments.
Feb. 20, 2023: Smith makes TikTok joke about slap
Smith dueted with a TikTok user who prompted others on the app to ask an inanimate object what it thinks of you.
“You can pick up a pen and ask it how it sees you or what it thinks of you,” TikToker Sam Rossi explained, “and you will get an answer in your mind from your intuition. You can ask your car what it thinks of you, you can even ask money what it thinks of you.”
Smith then reached off-camera to pick up and display his golden statue, which he won moments after Slapgate at the 2022 Oscars.
March 5, 2023: Rock slams Smith in Netflix comedy special
Nearly a year after the slap, Rock finally addressed the incident for all the world to hear in his Netflix special “Selective Outrage.”
“Everybody in the world called him a bitch,” Rock said of Smith in the special. “Everybody. Everybody. And who’s he hit? Me. A n—a he know he could beat. That is some bitch-ass s–t.”
“People like, ‘Did it hurt?’ It still hurts,” Rock continued. “I got ‘Summertime’ ringing in my ears!” Rock said, referring to Smith’s 1991 hip-hop hit with former music partner DJ Jazzy Jeff.
“But I’m not a victim, baby,” Rock claimed. “You will never see me on Oprah or Gayle [King], crying.”
Rock’s jokes allegedly made Smith feel “embarrassed and hurt.”
“He didn’t watch it, but he had people tell him what Chris said,” an insider told “Entertainment Tonight,” adding that “Will and Jada have seen comments about it.
“Will apologized to Chris and would like for Chris to let it go.”
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