Ariana Baio
Mar 13, 2023
content.jwplatform.com
What many thought was going to be the elephant in the room at this yearâs Oscars, ended up being the joke of the night.
Of course, weâre talking about the slap.
When Will Smith slapped Chris Rock during the award ceremony last year, it seemed like the future of the Academy Awards was on unsteady ground.
But rather than gloss over the incident which rocked Hollywood, celebrities chose to make jokes about it.
Starting with Jimmy Kimmelâs opening monologue, here are all the jokes made about Smithâs slap.
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Kimmelâs monologue
During the opening monologue, Kimmel joked about the repercussion for those who commit an act of violence.
âWe have strict policies in place, if anyone in this theater commits an act of violence at any point in the show, you will be awarded the Oscar for Best Actor and permitted to give a 19-minute-long speech," Kimmel said.
Many criticised the Academy for awarding Smith the award for Best Actor and letting him give a speech after he assaulted Rock on stage.
The host also joked about several nominees who will step in and fight those who choose to rush the stage.
âIf any of you get mad at a joke and decide you want to come up here and get jiggy with it, itâs not going to be easy. A few of my friends, youâll have to get through first,â Kimmel said.
He then listed people in the audience, both known and not known for fighting.
Like Adonis Creed (played by Michael B Jordan), Michelle Yeoh, the Mandelorian (played by Pedro Pascal), Spiderman (played by Andrew Garfield), Steven Spielberg, and Guillermo.
Kimmel also referenced the slap when acknowledging nominees.
âFive Irish actors are nominated tonight, which means the odds of another fight on stage just went way up,â he said.
A nod during the award for Best Documentary Feature Film
Shortly before the award for Best Documentary Feature Film, Kimmel came on stage to give a quick nod to the slap.
Notoriously, the incident occurred as Rock was presenting the award last year.
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