Oscars will have 'crisis team' to prevent a repeat of Will Smith's infamous slap

23 February 2023 , 22:12

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Oscars will have 'crisis team' to prevent a repeat of Will Smith's infamous slap

The 2023 Academy Awards ceremony will have "a whole crisis team" on standby who will "be prepared for anything".

Bosses will have staff on hand to deal with any surprise moments, after Will Smith made global headlines during last year's ceremony for slapping Chris Rock.

The Men in Black star faced widespread criticism after storming on stage at the event and slapping 58-year-old Chris over a joke made about Jada Pinkett Smith.

Will has since resigned from the Academy and has been banned from attending for 10 years.

Now, those behind the event are taking precautions to make sure there is no repeat of last year's controversial incident.

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Academy chief executive Bill Kramer said: "Things don’t always go as planned.

Will Smith faced a lot of criticism for slapping Chris Rock (AFP via Getty Images)

"So you have a host in place who can really pivot and manage those moments. But we have a whole crisis team, something we've never had before, and many plans in place."

He also explained that they hope to be "prepared for anything".

"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," Bill told Time Magazine.

The ceremony will feature a crisis team (AFP/Getty Images)

The Oscars return next month for the first time since Will slapped Chris.

A celebrity PR expert recently told The Mirror that the "jaw dropping incident" will be on everyone's minds, with all eyes expected to be on this year's ceremony.

Mayah Riaz, celebrity PR, said: "There is no doubt that the Will Smith slap is a jaw dropping incident. It will always be remembered as the most shocking Oscar moment.

"It can go one of two ways during the ceremony; he will be the butt of all jokes or people will steer clear of mentioning it. The latter will be the best approach for the academy."

She added: "All eyes will be on the ceremony, which is great because we have seen that the ratings have been falling in recent years.

"However, it needs to be a truly fabulous night of glitz, glamour and entertainment. In order to make sure the viewers keep watching, Hollywood really needs to do what it does best and make it a show stopper of a ceremony."

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