The Aftermath of Will Smith's Infamous Oscars Slap
This article was published on March 30 and updated on April 8
It's been officially two days since the Oscars 2022 happened, and one particular incident is still the centerpiece for online banter — and it's not Zendaya's stunning look or Timothée Chalamet's near-nipple slip. It's..."The Slap" (don't forget to pause for dramatic effect).
If you haven't heard about The Slap, congratulations, you've mastered avoidance of celeb-infested social media chatter (or you live under a rock).
At the 2022 Oscars (or the Academy Awards, if we're being proper), Will Smith slapped Chris Rock on stage after Rock joked about Jada Pinkett-Smith's baldness, a symptom of her alopecia condition.
After the very-much-real assault, Smith cussed out the stand-up comedian, yelling from the audience, "Keep my wife's name out your f—king mouth!"
Later in the evening, Smith went on to win his first Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role in King Richard, where he delivered a teary-eyed 5-minute acceptance speech.
Of course, Smith's speech was made doubly powerful by the emotional outburst that proceeded it and even garnered a standing ovation from the crowd. It didn't sway those still caught up on the night's slapping incident, though, including the actual Academy who puts on those Awards.
Even the day after, Will Smith's slap was still trending across social media platforms. So, in the aftermath of The Slap, what's next?
Chris Rock's Post-Slap Come-Up
Aside from a potentially sore cheek, Chris Rock taking the hit and keeping his cool is actually boosting his career, with tickets for his comedy tour seeing a spike in sales following the Oscars slap.
A day after the infamous strike, ticket marketplace Tick Pick tweeted, "We sold more tickets to see Chris Rock overnight than we did in the past month combined."
More than 50% of Chris Rock's 2022 ticket sales came from the Oscars: tickets for his upcoming performances, which initially sold for about $46, are now going for over $500.
Not clear if scalpers snapped up all the tickets thinking they could flip them to a Rock-sympathetic public or if actual fans were the ones gobbling them up, though.
Either way, Rock's post-show silence (and the fact that he won't be pressing charges) clearly has people salivating to hear from the man himself.
Oscars' Ratings Boost
The 2022 Oscars hit the Academy's rating goals out of the park, bringing in about 16.6 million viewers (up 58% from last's record-low ratings) and becoming the "highest-rated entertainment special in primetime on any network in two years."
Of course, the Academy has The Slap to thank for this (people tune in for good drama), though many viewers also scrambled to their televisions to catch Will Smith's acceptance speech.
I mean, how often to do you get to see celebs clash and apologize in real time?
Will Smith's "I'm a work in progress" Apology
Will Smith took to Instagram to issue a public apology to Chris Rock, the Academy Awards, and the film crew for King Richard, the film that he was in that helped him snag the Best Actor Oscar.
"Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive," Smith said. "My behavior at last night's Academy Awards was 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."
He ends his IG apology with "I am a work in progress," which came just before "choosing chaos" with Jada Pinkett-Smith in a previously posted Reels vid.
Jim Carrey's "Sickened" Thoughts
In an interview with Gayle King on March 28, actor Jim Carrey addressed the issue of Will Smith slapping Chris Rock, for some reason.
Carrey didn't mince words, saying he was "sickened" by the incident and the fact that Smith then received a standing ovation for his Oscar.
"Hollywood is just spineless en masse," Carrey said. "It really felt like this is a really clear indication that we aren't the cool club anymore."
"I have nothing against Will Smith," he continued. "He's done great things, but that was not a good moment. It cast a shadow over everyone's shining moment last night... it was a selfish moment."
Carrey has his own on-stage baggage to bear, though, having forcibly kissed Alicia Silverstone at the 1997 MTV Movie Awards.
The Academy's Anti-Violence Formal Review
The Academy will host a full-fledged meeting on March 30 with its board of governors to discuss and investigate the slapping incident.
"The Academy condemns the actions of Mr. Smith at last night's show," the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences stated in a statement.
"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."
With the entertainment organization's investigation underway, many speculated that Will Smith could be saying "bye-bye" to his first Oscar and even banned from future ceremonies.
Of course, such loaded claims caused others to bring up the Academy's ugly history of controversial winners, including rapists Harvey Weinstein and Roman Polanski and racist Mel Gibson.
A tweeter commented, "Will Smith may be asked to hand back his Oscar due to breaking The Academy's code of conduct — a code so strict that Harvey Weinstein only won 81 of them."
No Oscars for Will Smith for 10 Years
Following Will Smith's resignation from his Academy membership on April 1, the Academy proceeded with its investigation. On April 8, it came to a final decision: ban Will Smith from the Oscars and all other Academy-hosted events for the next 10 years. Sheesh.
"The 94th Oscars were meant to be a celebration of the many individuals in our community who did incredible work this past year; however, those moments were overshadowed by the unacceptable and harmful behavior we saw Mr. Smith exhibit on stage," the Academy said in a official statement.
"The Board has decided, for a period of 10 years from April 8, 2022, Mr. Smith shall not be permitted to attend any Academy events or programs, in person or virtually, including but not limited to the Academy Awards."
The Academy's board of directors also thanked Chris Rock and the show's "hosts, nominees, presenters, and winners for their poise and grace during [their] telecast."
We all know what Will Smith did was unnecessary and excessive. Compared to punishments given to past predatory and sexually abusive Oscar-award winners — who skated by with their Academy trophies to prove it — ten years is a stretch if you ask me.
