Minnie Driver Criticizes Academy For Not Intervening After Will Smith Slapped Chris Rock

During the 2022 Academy Awards on March 27, viewers had a perfect glimpse at Will Smith slapping Chris Rock across the face over a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith‘s bald head. We saw Jada, 50, initially roll her eyes at the insult, while Will, 53, laughed it off at first. But then, seemingly after seeing his wife upset, the King Richard star got up from his seat to smack Chris, 57. Jada’s reaction was not visible on the screen during the shocking incident. But now things have changed.

Will Smith and Chris Rock that took place during Sunday’s94 annual Academy Awards will take some time, the Academy stated in a letter to its members on Tuesday.The Academy contacted its members in a private letter from President David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson on Tuesday, noting they are «upset and outraged» that this year's winners were «overshadowed by the unacceptable and harmful behavior on stage by a nominee.» Specifically calling out the star, the letter stated, «To be clear, we condemn Mr. Smith's actions that transpired Sunday night.» Of the formal review, they stated the the process will «take a few weeks» to complete, saying, «We will continue to update you on any developments, but we also ask that you respect your Board, Academy staff and the process as this unfolds so it can work in the considered way it was intended and mandated.» In a statement on Monday about Smith shockingly slapping Rock, the Academy shared that they were officially conducting a formal review.«The Academy condemns the actions of Mr.

A heavy moment. Willow Smith subtly weighed in after her father, Will Smith, slapped Chris Rock in the face at the 2022 Oscars.

Questlove says he missed the viral moment when Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at last week’s Oscars because he was meditating.At the Oscars ceremony on Sunday (March 27), Smith struck the comedian on-stage following a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head. In 2018, Pinkett Smith revealed she has alopecia.Minutes after the incident, Questlove was awarded Best Documentary for his film Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) by Rock, but admitted that he had no idea what had just transpired on stage.He told Jimmy Fallon: “They tell you ahead of time, this is your category, and so, in that moment, you’re either going to be full of anxiety or, for me, I’ve been like meditating for the past couple of years.“And when the commercial break happened, I was in my ‘Mmmm.’ So when I opened my eyes, I didn’t realise.

most controversial night in Oscars history. The 94th Academy Awards were, of course, marred by Will Smith slapping presenter Chris Rock in the face after he made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s bald head. Kimmel, whose show runs on ABC, the same network that carries the Oscars, began by showing the clip of Smith walking up on stage and striking Rock in front of the audience.

2022 Oscars will forever be remembered for the so-called slap heard 'round the world, when Will Smith stormed onstage and slapped presenter Chris Rock in the face before returning to his seat and proceeding to cuss him out, all over a joke Rock made at the expense of Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.The moment was unsettling, unexpected, confusing and changed the atmosphere for the remainder of the evening. But as chaotic as things were in the theater, a source tells ET that it was much more so backstage.«Behind the scenes there were a lot of people, different voices and opinions all weighing in on what had just happened, and what was the right course of action,» the source says of the moments immediately following the altercation.The moment came as a surprise to all involved, and even the producers of the show apparently had to figure out if this was an unplanned stunt between Smith and Rock, and if Rock was hurt.«There were just minutes to first figure out if it was a stunt,» the source recalls, «and then try and get people on the same page including the producers, ABC, the Academy, reps — who were not all in the same place physically or looking at their phones in real time.»The sources adds that «people were checking that Chris Rock was OK.... and to see if Chris even wanted to press charges.»In a statement to ET on Sunday night, after the Oscars came to a close, the LAPD said they were aware of the incident but that «the individual involved has declined to file a police report.»«LAPD investigative entities are aware of an incident between two individuals during the Academy Awards program,» the statement read.

Jada Pinkett-Smith has broken her silence over her husband, Will Smith's, Oscars altercation with Chris Rock, during which he slapped the presenter in the face. The wife of the King Richard star was at the center of the comedian's joke which riled Will so much he took to the stage and hit him. MORE: Will Smith's fans convinced attack on Chris Rock was 'staged' after actor predicted 'chaos' hours earlierNow, Jada has taken to Instagram with a brief statement which reads: "This is a season for healing and I'm here for it."WATCH: Will Smith slaps Chris Rock at the Oscars over joke about Jada Pinkett-Smith's hair lossThe words were posted on a pale pink background and were met with applause from her social media followers who commented with heart and praying hands emojis.MORE: Serena Williams breaks silence on Will Smith and Chris Rock on stage Oscars altercationSEE: Celebrities react to Will Smith's shocking Chris Rock altercationHer words come after Will issued a statement on Instagram himself. His read: "Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive," he began his statement.A post shared by Jada Pinkett Smith (@jadapinkettsmith)Jada Pinkett-Smith broke her silence with a simply statement "My behavior at last night's Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable.

Jada Pinkett Smith has spoken out for the first time since her husband Will Smith hit Chris Rock at the Oscars.The actress, 50, seemed upset when the comedian made a joke about her shaved head after she'd previously been open about her struggle with alopecia.Taking to social media for the first time since the incident that shocked Hollywood, Jada shared a quote with her followers. "This is a season for healing and I’m here for it," it read.The star did not include a caption and had turned off the comments on the post.

Jada Pinkett Smith has spoken. Two days after husband Will Smith shockingly confronted Chris Rock live onstage at the 2022 Oscars, slapping him in the face over a joke the comedian made about Jada's shaved head, the 50-year-old actress has a message for her fans. «This is a season for healing,» she posted to Instagram on Tuesday, «and I'm here for it.» Jada's message comes on the heels of Will's apologetic statement issued Monday night, in which he told the public, «Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive.»«My behavior at last night's Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable. Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada's medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally,» the  star explained, referencing Jada's struggle with alopecia. A post shared by Jada Pinkett Smith (@jadapinkettsmith)The 53-year-old actor proceeded to issue Chris a direct apology, something he notably did not do when he addressed the audience at the Academy Awards to accept the Oscar for Best Actor. «I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris,» he wrote.

Questlove. The 51-year-old musician, whose real name is Ahmir Khalib Thompson, took home the Best Documentary Feature Oscar for his work directing the musical documentary, at the 94th annual Academy Awards. The moment was sadly overshadowed by the events that took place minutes before when Will Smith took to the stage to slap comedian Chris Rock across the face for making a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.

Diddy knew what he wanted to accomplish when he took the stage at the 2022 Academy Awards on Sunday. The 52-year-old rapper was a presenter at the ceremony, and the first to follow Will Smith and Chris Rock's onstage incident.A source tells ET that Diddy wanted to try to lighten the room when he was onstage and try to celebrate the awards.

Richard Williams, father of Venus and Serena Williams and the strong-willed tennis coach Will Smith portrayed in his Oscar-winning performance of , is speaking out following Smith's altercation with Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars.Williams provided a statement to ET Monday, after Smith slapped Rock during Sunday night's broadcast when the comedian made a joke about Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.«We don't know all the details of what happened, but we don't condone anyone hitting anyone else unless it's in self-defense,» Williams said via his son, Chavoita LeSane.«My father was as surprised as anyone when Will Smith suddenly retaliated against Chris Rock for making a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith on Sunday,» LeSane went on to share. «I want to congratulate Will on the Oscar. It was an honor to see him win Best Actor.»Williams' statement came after the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced it had launched a formal review into the onstage incident, after condemning the violence that took place Sunday.“The Academy condemns the actions of Mr.

Sunday's shocking turn of events at the 2022 Oscars, Will Smith slapping Chris Rock in the face is all anyone was talking about on social media, and proved to be rich comedic fodder for late-night talk show hosts.One host who had particular insight into how wild the night must have truly been was Jimmy Kimmel — who famously hosted the Oscars ceremony in 2017, during which the wrong Best Picture winner was announced, with presenters mistakenly naming instead of the real winner, «I'm a little bummed because now I've hosted only the second craziest Oscars of all time! I only had three years to enjoy that,» Kimmel quipped during his opening monologue.«A lot of my friends have been texting me asking what I would have done if I was host.

A new report has revealed details about what happened backstage at the 2022 Oscars in the moments immediately following “the slap” from Will Smith.

Will Smith took home the Oscar for best actor shortly after he slapped presenter Chris Rock across the face. The move by the 53-year-old actor left viewers stunned and the lack of acknowledgement by the Academy confused many.