The Oscars Was Historic, And Yes, Will Slapped Chris, by Roderick Thomas

If you hadn’t seen Will Smith walk on stage and smack Chris Rock on camera, you may have thought it was just a rumor. And if you haven’t seen or heard about the now infamous smack, you may not live on earth. Though the highlights of Oscars 2022 were unfortunately overshadowed by a few minutes of rage from the Fresh Prince himself, here are historic firsts, some wonderful, others unfortunate, all of them memorable:

First Women Trio to Host the Oscars
For the first time in history, the Oscars was hosted by three women–––three very funny women–––comedians and actresses Regina Hall, Amy Schumer, and Wanda Sykes. The three hosts’ comedic skills blended well with each other, delivering punchlines and performing skits throughout the night with natural chemistry.

All three hosts delivered amazing performances, but Regina Hall was a refreshing addition to a stage of that magnitude. For years, audiences have enjoyed Regina’s playful and slightly raunchy style of comedy in films like Girls Trip and Scary Movie. When compared to the 2021 Oscars ceremony, Hall, along with Schumer and Sykes helped bring in more viewership for the 2022 Oscars by a reported six million more viewers. Unfortunately, the 2022 Oscars was still one of the lowest viewed of all time–––the second lowest in history.

First Oscar Win for an Afro-Latina
Ariana DeBose proudly proclaimed both her Afro-Latina and queer identity as she won Best Supporting Actress for her performance in West Side Story, saying,

[Thank you Steven Spielberg, you’re stuck with me now! And the divine inspiration that is Rita Moreno, your Anita paved the way for tons of Anitas like me–––an openly queer Afro-Latina who found her strength and life through art.]

First Oscars-so-Hip Hop
From Oscars-so-white, and Oscars-so-what, to this year’s hip hop flavored ceremony. While the Academy of Motion Pictures and Arts and Sciences (the Oscars) is most certainly still an organization run by older, White men, the broadcasted award show (the Oscars) has undergone some noticeable changes in an effort to be more inclusive–––and to increase the declining ratings.

Nonetheless, hip hop was in the building. Quest Love of the legendary group The Roots, won the best documentary Oscar for his documentary film, Summer of Soul, a documentary about the previously untelevised, Harlem Cultural Festival of 1969 –– a massive music festival centered around Black culture, featuring legendary singers like Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight, and Nina Simone.

Also present was the world’s most energetic hype man, DJ Khaled, who enthusiastically re-introduced the three hosts as they opened up the award show. In addition, renowned DJ, D-Nice was the Oscars’ DJ for the night.

However, the night wasn’t all about the men of hip hop. Rapper Megan Thee Stallion, best known for her hit songs “W.A.P” and “Savage,” became the first woman rapper to ever perform at an Oscars ceremony. Megan Thee Stallion entertained the crowd with an eye-catching rendition of Encanto’s “We Don’t Talk About Bruno.” The audience looked somewhat stunned as Megan walked through the crowd rapping over horns and percussion, until she arrived at the stage–––Megan’s short interaction with Euphorias’ Zendaya was adorable.

Keeping in line with women in music, Billie Eilish won best original song for “No Time to Die,” from the identically titled James Bond film——making her one of the youngest winners for the category–––the second youngest. Though Eilish won the award, her fellow best original song nominee, Beyonce, undoubtedly had the best performance of the night. Beyonce performed a colorful and mesmerizing rendition of “Be Alive,” from Will Smith’s film, King Richard.

First On-Camera Slap at the Oscars
The awards went on without any noticeable hiccups, until veteran comedian Chris Rock walked on the stage to announce the winner for best documentary. However, before announcing the winner, Rock would make a light-hearted, but moment-shifting joke at the expense of Will Smith’s wife, actress Jada Pinkett Smith, for her bald head–––caused by alopecia.

“Jada I love you, G.I. Jane two, can’t wait to see it,” said Chris jokingly.

Seconds later, Will Smith walked on stage and forcefully slapped Chris Rock on his face, before walking back to his seat. Though Will Smith would later win a best actor Oscar for his portrayal of Venus and Serena Williams’ father, Richard Williams, in the film King Richard, his long-awaited Oscar win became a sideshow to the slap.

In the moments and days that followed, everyone had an opinion, or reaction to the unprecedented moment (myself included). It’s clear that Will Smith acted out of insecurity and perceived duty to his wife. Many men and women are taught to believe that violence in defense of your significant others’ honor is always justifiable–––which is not the case.

Watching the video, you can see a man (Will) struggling to hold on to what he felt, in the moment, was his manhood, and his role as protector. However, had he handled the situation differently, he could have actually protected his family from a media blitz that currently surrounds them.

While alopecia is a sensitive topic, Will Smith’s response was a mismatch for the joke. Chris Rock’s joke wasn’t out of the ordinary for an event like the Oscars, or any comedy show for that matter.

Thomas