The Oscars will be presented in Hollywood in just over a week. Then after the award ceremony, hopefully the winning films will be the focus again and no scandals like the slap that moderator and comedian Chris Rock (58) caught from Will Smith (54) after he made a joke at the expense of his wife Jada Pinkett Smith (51) had made.
Will Smith's slap overshadowed the Oscars
For Will Smith, it was the fall from Hollywood's Mr. Nice Guy to violent bully. Film projects with him were partially put on hold, at least for the time being, and he rarely appeared in public after the incident. We're guaranteed not to see him at this year's Oscars, as he earned himself a ten-year ban from the awards ceremony, despite dropping out of the Academy the very next day. It wasn't all bad for him that night, though, as before he became a Hollywood leper, he picked up the coveted Best Actor trophy for 'King Richard'. His beating victim had so far largely remained silent about the incident.
Chris Rock unpacks
Largely. As it has only now become known, Chris Rock had briefly made the slap in the face an issue when he tried out new material for his upcoming comedy tour to live audiences in January. That reports the 'Wall Street Journal'. The comedian joked, "What everyone wants to know...did it hurt? Yeah, hell, it hurt!" He added: "He played Muhammad Ali, I played Pookie." With that, Chris was alluding to film roles. Will Smith played the famous boxer, while Chris Rock played a loser as Pookie in 'New Jack City'. "I got hit so hard, 'Summertime' rang in my ears," he continued, referring to Will Smith's hit song. At least Chris Rock will be safe at this year's awards.
