Academy President Says Reaction To Will Smith Slapgate Was ‘Inadequate’

the 2023 Oscars -- it's impossible not to think back on last year's Academy Awards, which honored plenty of impressive achievements in film, but was overshadowed by the now-infamous incident in which Will Smith stormed the stage to hit Chris Rock in the face over a joke Rock made about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.The moment was the most jaw-dropping awards show incident since the Best Picture mixup of 2017, with many in the room wondering if it was a staged bit, before the uncomfortable silence stretched into realization. Later in the show, the awkward tension was compounded by the fact that Smith won the Oscar for Best Actor — for his title role in the Williams' sister biopic, — and took the stage once again, this time with a mix of joy and tearful apology.As Chris Rock prepares for his history-making live Netflix special,, it's expected that he'll address the incident at length for the first time publicly, as part of the standup set. So, if you need a refresher, here's a look at how «The Slap» went down, and everything that's happened since:The Slap Heard Round Hollywood happened at the 94th Academy Awards, which were held on March 27, 2022, at Los Angeles' Dolby Theatre and was hosted by the trio of Amy Schumer, Regina Hall and Wanda Sykes.Rock took the stage midway through the ceremony to present the Oscar for Best Documentary, when he made a joke about Smith's wife.

Will Smith, 54, slapped 94th Academy Awards host Chris Rock, 58, after the comedian made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s hair — which Smith took as a jab at his 51-year-old wife’s struggle with alopecia. The tone-deaf comment inspired the actor to hustle up to the Los Angeles Dolby Theatre stage and smack Rock in the face.“It’s still shocking that that happened,” the late-night talk show host told People.

New York Post, Rock joked, “I rooted for Will Smith my whole life. The other day, I watched ‘Emancipation’ just so I could watch him getting whipped.”In “Emancipation,” Smith plays an escaped slave who was known in real life as “Whipped Peter,” due to a photograph of his horrifically scarred back.

Comedian Wanda Sykes remembers Will Smith’s Oscars slap of Chris Rock well, and she thinks even Troy Kotsur, the deaf actor who won Best Supporting Actor for “CODA” last year, heard it.But did she really need to go there with it?The actress, who hosted last year’s ceremony, appeared on the 100th episode of the Sherri Shepherd Show Friday to discuss her comedy career, retirement and more. Shepherd asked her about Rock’s live comedy special coming out Saturday on Netflix.“We love Chris Rock. You have a close relationship with Chris, but are you happy that this special is coming out?” Shepherd asked Sykes.

Will Smith makes a triumphant awards show return at the 14th Annual AAFCA Awards at the Beverly Wiltshire, A Four Seasons Hotel on Wednesday (March 1) in Beverly Hills, Calif.

Will Smith got emotional when he revealed he was spit on by a White actor while filming "Emancipation." Smith appeared at the 14th annual African American Film Critics Association Awards on Wednesday night to accept the Beacon Award. "'Emancipation' was the most individual difficult film of my entire career," Smith said after director Antoine Fuqua spoke, via "Entertainment Tonight." "It’s really difficult to transport a modern mind to that time period. It’s difficult to imagine that, that level of inhumanity." "It was the second day of shooting and 110 degrees," he said.

Academy Awards prepares to celebrate its 95th year, the prestigious awards show isn't without its fair share of controversy.Long before the headline-making slap between Will Smith and Chris Rock during the 2022 broadcast, there have been numerous scandals and controversies to come out of the Oscars.From reading out the wrong winner to cringe-worthy hosts and unwanted onstage PDA, ET is looking back at the most controversial moments in Oscars history:Will Smith's Oscars SlapIn arguably the biggest scandal to ever come out of the awards show, Will Smith took to the stage and slapped presenter Chris Rock across the face after Rock made a joke about Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith's, shaved head during the 2022 broadcast. Pinkett Smith suffers from alopecia.

Chris Rock is finally talking about the slap.

Chris Rock is ready to let loose on Will Smith during his live global Netflix standup special this Saturday after months of honing jokes about his infamous Oscar slap, according to reports.  The special this Saturday comes nearly a year after Smith walked onstage at the Academy Awards while Rock was presenting and smacked him across the face.  The "Spiral" star has mostly stayed mum on the attack except for jokes he has been trying out on stand-up audiences in his "Ego Death World Tour." In July, Rock joked he was slapped by "Suge Smith," comparing Smith to the former Death Row Records co-founder, Marion "Suge" Knight. Knight is currently serving a 28-year prison sentence after pleading no contest to voluntary manslaughter in 2018 following a fatal confrontation in Los Angeles in 2015.

Katie Reul editor Will Smith won the NAACP Image Award for outstanding actor in a motion picture for his performance in “Emancipation” on Saturday night, marking his first award win since his infamous incident at the 2022 Oscars in which he slapped Chris Rock onstage. Smith was not present at the ceremony to accept his award in person. Set in 19th century Louisiana, Smith portrays a runaway slave who embarks on a treacherous journey to Baton Rouge while thwarting off violent plantation owners. “Emancipation” was inspired by an 1863 photograph known as “Whipped Peter,” which depicts a once-enslaved individual with severe lacerations on his back. The image’s circulation placed the brutality of slavery in front of the eyes of the American public.

J. Kim Murphy Walter Mirisch, a former president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and an Oscar-winning producer for “In the Heat of the Night,” died Friday in Los Angeles of natural causes. He was 101. Mirisch’s death was confirmed by a statement released by the Academy on Saturday afternoon. “The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is deeply saddened to hear of Walter’s passing,” Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang said in the statement. “Walter was a true visionary, both as a producer and as an industry leader. He had a powerful impact on the film community and the Academy, serving as our President and as an Academy governor for many years. His passion for filmmaking and the Academy never wavered, and he remained a dear friend and advisor. We send our love and support to his family during this difficult time.”

Academy Awards prepares to celebrate its 95th year, the prestigious awards show isn't without its fair share of scandal.Long before the headline-making slap between Will Smith and Chris Rock during the 2022 broadcast, there have been numerous scandals and controversies to come out of the Oscars.From reading out the wrong winner to cringe-worthy hosts and unwanted onstage PDA, ET is looking back at the most controversial moments in Oscars history:Will Smith's Oscars SlapIn arguably the biggest scandal to ever come out of the awards show, Will Smith took to the stage and slapped presenter Chris Rock across the face after Rock made a joke about Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith's, shaved head during the 2022 broadcast. Pinkett Smith suffers from alopecia.

The Oscars are making sure they’re prepared for everything this year.

Will Smith walk on stage to slap Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars.Little has – despite the wave of criticism they have received for years with various concerns  – also caused such an urge to change things within the way things work than the shocking incident.In the aftermath, which included a hiatus for the King Richard actor and a 10-year ban from attending the annual awards, the Academy has rolled out a series of new measures to make sure everything goes far more smoothly.WATCH: Will Smith reappears months after Chris Rock Oscars slap to answer difficult questions and issue apologiesMORE: Will Smith pays heartfelt tribute to daughter Willow with unseen family photosAs the Academy continues to grapple with the fallout of the several controversies they have faced in recent years, they have decided to incorporate a "crisis team" into their organization to be on high alert during the show and beyond.Speaking with TIME, the Academy's CEO, Bill Kramer – who only became the organization's leader last July – detailed what measures would be in place should a surprise crisis arise in the middle of the show.MORE: Will Chris Rock attend the 2023 Oscars?When asked how they are preparing, the entertainment executive first praised their choice of host, Jimmy Kimmel, as someone who is more than adept at handling live television. The star has since apologized for the incidentSpeaking of the newly founded crisis team, he said: "We have a whole crisis team, something we've never had before, and many plans in place."DISCOVER: Taylor Kinney rocks bright red lipstick in first pictures after Chicago Fire departureDISCOVER: The Rookie star Nathan Fillion's secret struggle with ongoing condition revealedHe added: "We've run many scenarios.

Will Smith slapped Chris Rock in a shocking moment that overshadowed Hollywood’s biggest night, TMZ reported Wednesday. The outlet cited unidentified Academy insiders who reportedly said the designated team will be able to spring into action at the March 12 ceremony if things go awry.“We have a whole crisis team, something we’ve never had before, and many plans in place,” the sources allegedly told TMZ. “We’ve run many scenarios.

Zack Sharf The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences CEO Bill Kramer confirmed in an interview with Time magazine that the organization has implemented a new “crisis team” for the upcoming 2023 Oscars in order to quickly navigate any potential real-time emergency. The creation of a crisis team is a response to the 2022 Oscars, where Will Smith infamously walked on stage and slapped presenter Chris Rock across the face. Academy president Janet Yang previously said the group’s response to the incident was not swift enough. “We have a whole crisis team, something we’ve never had before, and many plans in place,” Kramer said. “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.”

Movie Academy CEO Bill Kramer said there is “a whole crisis team” in place for the Academy Awards next — a first for the ceremony in its 95 years.

Will Smith has surprised fans with an “unexpected” Oscars joke on TikTok.The actor has been dealing with the fallout of last year’s Oscars, in which he walked onto the stage and slapped Chris Rock after the comedian made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s hair. Moments later, Smith picked up the Best Actor award.Smith, who has since received a 10-year ban from the award ceremony, has subsequently been relatively quiet on social media.

“duet” with a TikTok user who prompts others on the app to ask an inanimate object what it thinks of you.“This works because everything has consciousness,” reads the caption of the original video by TikToker Sam Rossi.“You can pick up a pen and ask it how it sees you or what it thinks of you,” she continued, “and you will get an answer in your mind from your intuition. You can ask your car what it thinks of you, you can even ask money what it thinks of you.”In the duet, the 54-year-old actor reaches off camera to pick up an Academy Award for Best Actor, which he won for his role in “King Richard” during that fateful ceremony.He looks as though he’s about to ask his golden statue a question just before he ends the video — which has 112,500 likes and 1.6 million views as of Wednesday morning.Smith slapped 94th Academy Awards host Chris Rock, 58, after the comedian made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s hair — which Smith took as a jab at his 51-year-old wife’s struggle with alopecia.

Tatyana Ali is headed back to a town called Bel-Air in a very different role than when she left it! The actress, who played Ashley Banks in the originalseries, joined the cast of Peacock's for its upcoming second season, and she sat down with ET's Kevin Frazier to share her experience with the reboot's cast.Season 2 of  -- which reimagines the Will Smith-starring '90s sitcom as a flashy, modern drama — picks up with Will at a crossroads as a new figure comes into his life who challenges what he’s learned in Bel-Air and competes for control of his influence. He juggles this while navigating his home life with the Banks family and trying to rebuild the trust that was broken at the end of last season.Ali joined the cast in a recurring guest star appearance as Mrs.