Will Smith and Chris Rock slap incident's impact on the Oscars explained

09 March 2024 , 11:00

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The Will Smith slap happened two years ago this month (Image: AFP via Getty Images)

The 96th Academy Awards will take place on Sunday, March 10. But has The Oscars been impacted by a negative incident that happened at the ceremony in 2022?

On March 27, 2022, Hollywood actor Will Smith famously slapped Chris Rock after he made a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith's appearance. While hosting the Oscars at the time, comedian Chris joked: "Jada, I love you. GI Jane 2, can’t wait to see you," which referred to Jada's shaved head as a result of her alopecia.

Will then leaped out of his seat in defence of his wife, walked up on stage, and slapped Chris, which left the comedian saying: "Wow! Wow. Will Smith just smacked the s*** out of me."

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Will Smith famously slapped Chris Rock in 2022 (Getty Images)

And now a Hollywood guru has weighed in on the slapping incident that took place two years ago, with Lynn Carratt from Press Box PR talking to The Mirror about how it impacted the public's perception of The Oscars.

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Speaking to us, Lynn said: "While many thought Will Smith's slap of Chris Rock at the Oscars in 2022 was scripted, and who could put it past the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences?

"The ratings of Oscars ceremonies have been plummeting year after year, and they might have wanted to create a bit of spice to improve ratings. It is Hollywood, after all."

She then said: "But of course, it wasn’t, and Will Smith was handed a decade ban from the prestigious ceremony. Though he is still eligible to win awards.

"But how has this incident affected future Oscars? Well, the Academy set up a crisis team to deal with any unexpected developments at future ceremonies, showing that the slap did indeed have a lasting impact. Two years later, and we’re still talking about it, and we will be for years to come I’m sure. I’m certain, though we won’t see anything like it at the Dolby Theater this year."

Lynn then touched on how the integrity of the Oscars was also questioned, "it faced much backlash and the safety of celebrities was also questioned", she said, adding: "The incident certainly gave Hollywood a lesson in crisis communications and how to handle any more of these situations going forward.

"And, while many deemed the incident the lowest point in Oscars history, many others have happened previously, including Hattie McDaniel having to sit at a segregated table in 1940 when she became the first Black woman to win an Oscar."

Concluding her expert analysis, Lynn went on: "However, The slap raised questions about celebrities' behaviour in the public arena and how the teams of professionals around them can better manage this. They are supposed to be role models, and this is a discussion that continues on."

Mollie Quirk