Violent outburst upstages Oscar's return from pandemic
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[March 28, 2022]
By Steve Gorman
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The Academy Awards
telecast was packed with much of what got left out of last year's
pandemic-hindered show, offering a trio of women hosts, a return to
lavish musical productions and a big dose of comedy, much of it edgier
than usual for the Oscars.
It was a bit of that testy humor, delivered by comedian Chris Rock and
found offensive by actor Will Smith, that led to Sunday night's biggest
moment - a nominated actor slapping a presenter in the face in anger on
live national television.
The unprecedented physical altercation upstaged the final half hour of
the show and will certainly go down as one of the most memorable moments
in Oscar history.
It also is sure to thrust the Oscars, facing steadily sagging TV
viewership in recent years, back in the cultural conversation, though
probably not in the way organizers imagined.
As it unfolded, many in the room and watching from home were left
momentarily wondering whether the spectacle had been staged. It turned
out to be entirely unscripted.
The surreal confrontation was sparked when Smith, a best-actor nominee,
took umbrage at Rock for making a crack about his wife's closely shaven
hair as the comedian was about to present the award for best
documentary.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2022/Mar/28/images/ads/current/humanesociety_sda022411.png)
Smith suddenly strode onto the stage and slapped Rock hard across the
face with his open hand. The actor then turned and took his seat again
beside his spouse, actress Jada Pinkett Smith, who suffers from a hair
loss condition called alopecia.
Smith then repeatedly shouted a vulgarity at Rock in defense of his
wife.
Rock, visibly stunned but maintaining his composure, acknowledged he had
just been smacked by Smith and jokingly said the incident made for the
"greatest night in the history of television."
It certainly overshadowed the evening.
Seeking to lighten the mood moments later, co-host Amy Schumer, emerged
back on stage from a previous gag to feign ignorance of the whole
affair: "Did I miss anything? There seems to be a different vibe in
here."
Veteran actor Anthony Hopkins made mention of the episode before
presenting the best-actress award, saying, "Well, what an evening,"
adding, "Will Smith said it all."
Smith had more to say as he took the stage again as winner of the
best-actor award for portraying Richard Williams, the father and coach
of tennis greats Venus and Serena Williams in the biopic "King Richard."
A tearful Smith apologized to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and
Sciences and fellow nominees during his acceptance speech, in which he
started off saying, "Richard Williams was a fierce defender of his
family."
He left the stage to a standing ovation, after telling the crowd, "I
hope the academy invites me back."
Strangely, the film "King Richard" ended up as a kind of through-line
for the entire show.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2022/Mar/28/images/ads/current/Applegate_sda_SFARM_2022.png)
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![](../images/032822PIX/ent_b.85.jpg)
Chris Rock stands backstage at the 94th Academy Awards in
Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, U.S., March 27, 2022. Al Seib/A.M.P.A.S./Handout
via REUTERS
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2015/May/02/images/ads/current/guzzardo_lda022609.png) The telecast began the Williams
sisters introducing the show-opening performance by pop superstar
Beyonce of her single "Be Alive," from the "King Richard"
soundtrack, nominated as best original song.
RECAPTURING THE GLITZ
Returning to its home venue at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, the
telecast sought to recapture much of the customary glitz and live
entertainment that went missing when COVID-19 forced the scaled-down
2021 event into a rail station.
In addition to Beyonce's appearance, Sunday's show featured musical
by such stars as Billie Eilish, Reba McEntire and the cast of the
Oscar-winning best animated feature, "Encanto."
After going for three years without a master of
ceremonies, one notable upgrade to the Oscars was that it boasted
three co-hosts - comic performers Schumer, Wanda Sykes and Regina
Hall - marking the first Oscar ceremony emceed by a trio of women.
"It's cheaper than hiring one man," Schumer dead-panned to big
laughs.
Schumer herself tested the bounds of traditional Oscar decorum by
roasting a number of luminaries in the room, including "Being the
Recardos" writer-director Aaron Sorkin, whom she taunted for making
a movie about TV comedy pioneer Lucille Ball "without even a moment
that's funny."
Casting a wider net of mock derision, Schumer said the year's films
overall "weren't all great, a lot of them were pretty hard to
understand," adding, "You know who you are."
In a bid to quicken the show's pace in an era of tumbling awards
show ratings, organizers scaled back presentations to winners in
eight categories deemed of less interest to TV viewers.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2022/Mar/28/images/ads/current/collins_lda_SFARM_2022.png)
Those awards, such as for sound and production design, were handed
out during a "golden hour" before the live telecast started, with
edited snippets of acceptance speeches sprinkled throughout the main
show.
The change sparked a backlash among many in Hollywood who called it
an affront to craft artists critical to filmmaking. Ultimately, the
show still ran longer than planned, over 3 1/2 hours. The co-hosts
bid viewers goodnight dressed in pajamas.
(Reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Additional reporting by
Dan Trotta, Frank McGurty, Dan Whitcomb, Nichola Groom, Dawn
Chmielewski and Tim Reid; Editing by Michael Perry)
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