The Oscar Slap incident was easily one of the biggest news of 2022. Will Smith went on stage at the 94th Academy Awards and slapped host Chris Rock after the latter made fun of Jada Pinkett-Smith’s baldness. Now the Academy President has responded to the incident.
Janet Yang recently stated that the organization’s response to the infamous slapping incident last year was “inadequate”. She said that the Academy should act “swiftly” and “compassionately.” So let’s find out in detail what Yang said regarding the whole issue.
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Academy President Addresses The Oscar Slap Incident
The 2022 Oscar event quickly turned ugly after Will Smith went up the stage and slapped host Chris Rock for joking about his wife’s baldness. He later dropped the f-bomb on television as well.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Academy President Janet Yang has said that the organization’s response to the incident was “inadequate.” She was addressing the 2023 Oscars Nominees Luncheon.
“As I’m sure you all remember we experienced an unprecedented event at the Oscars,” Yang said. “What happened on stage was wholly unacceptable and the response from the organization was inadequate. We learned from this that the Academy must be fully transparent and accountable in our actions and particularly in times of crisis.”
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Will Smith Has Been Banned By The Academy
During last year’s Oscar, Rock was hosting the event and was presenting the award for best documentary for Questlove’s ‘Summer of Soul.’ He joked about Jada Pinkett Smith’s baldness, comparing her to Demi Moore’s haircut in ‘G.I. Jane.’
Smith, who initially laughed, reached the stage and slapped the comedian. He subsequently yelled and dropped the f-bomb at Rock. Later, he bagged the Best Actor award and apologized to everyone, except Rock.
Taking to Instagram the very next day, the actor apologized to Rock. A few months later, he posted a YouTube video where he apologized to Chris once again. The Academy has banned him from attending Academy events for ten years.
Reactions to Smith’s have been different. However, over the past few months, people seem to have forgiven him, especially after his appearance on the Trevor Noah show.
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