Movies - TV
Every Time Jimmy Kimmel Mocked Will Smith At The 2023 Oscars
By VALERIE ETTENHOFER
The Academy's response to the stunning moment when actor Will Smith slapped comedian Chris Rock after Rock told a joke about Smith’s wife, actress Jada Pinkett Smith, was dramatic and drawn out. At the 95th Academy Awards, host Jimmy Kimmel brought up the slap many times with largely unfunny jokes that felt needlessly shoehorned into the telecast.
Kimmel said that the Irish cast of “The Banshees of Inisherin” ensured that “the odds of another fight on stage just went way up.” Then he told attendees, “We want you to have fun, we want you to feel safe, and most importantly, we want me to feel safe.” He added, “Hopefully it goes off this time without a hitch — or at least without Hitch,” referencing Smith's 2005 rom-com.
Kimmel also joked, “If anyone in this theater commits an act of violence at any point during the show, you will be awarded the Oscar for Best Actor and permitted to give a 19-minute-long speech.” He even recruited attendees to be bodyguards in case of any violence and introduced presenters by saying, “Please put your hands together and then keep them to yourself.”
Kimmel poked fun at last year's audience members for standing by when Smith, whom he called "the assailant," slapped Rock, as if it were some extended violent rampage and not a quick, unpredictable moment. His punchlines flattened the incident, drained it of any nuance, neglected the racist response to the incident, and hinged on a fearful reimagining of what happened.