The Oscar Fiasco | Sofia Ung

Following the most recent Oscars, Chris Rock and Will Smith secured themselves one of the most interesting nights of award television history. Rock was set to be the main host of the Oscars, along with some other MCs like Amy Schumer. Rock’s night was going well until one of his jokes crossed a fragile line and stepped on the toes of the Smith family. The Smiths were seated right at the front of the room and seemed to be enjoying themselves. Jada Pickett Smith, Smith’s wife, has recently been struggling with a medical condition: Alopecia. Due to this condition, Pickett Smith has experienced hair loss. In recent interviews and talk shows, the star has expressed the hardship she has endured with this condition, but she is not embarrassed of her baldness. She finds the beauty in it, and many women around the world find her to be a role model.

Rock, though, crossed a boundary. Bottom. Line.

“Jada, I love ya. G.I. Jane 2, can't wait to see it,” referring to the G.I. Jane movie series.

His insensitive comment noticeably irritated and offended Pickett Smith, as she is seen on screen rolling her eyes. Her husband laughed initially, although people speculated that he “put on a face for the camera,” but once the cameras moved away, Chris found himself in an awkward position. Rock looks up and finds Smith walking up to stage straight towards him. The Fresh Prince slaps Rock across the face as there is a gasp in the sea of the Oscar attendees. Guests weren’t sure if this was scripted, but soon realized it wasn’t.

Will sat back down in his chair only to say “Get my wife’s name out of your ******* mouth!” He said this not once, but twice.

The audience was in shock as people’s jaws dropped, and Rock was left frazzled. He played along and said “well definitely one of the greatest nights of television history.”

The night carried on as Smith, just five minutes later, accepted an award for Best Actor for his role in King Richard, where he played the father of the William’s sisters and secured his first Oscar. In his speech, Smith apologized to the Academy for his actions and hopes to be invited again. Simultaneously, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok were blowing up with memes, comments, and videos. Seeing Smith, a man of a squeaky-clean record, fall into the cancellable hands of the media was surprising. Memes of the scene in Euphoria of Maddie and Cassie paralleled the incident on the Oscars stage. You could say Zendaya seems to be used to these types of things (IFYKYK).

I can say for most of us, it was one of the few times we tuned into an award show in a long time. It sure left a mark on Oscars night.