Jimmy Kimmel is gearing up to host the 2023 Oscars, making him miss the Oscars of yesteryear.
When Kimmel, 55, hosted the Oscars for the first time in 2017, the wrong winner for best picture was announced in what he called “a very intense and confusing end to what was a great night.”
But while delivering what at the time might have seemed like the most dramatic Oscars ever, Kimmel still couldn’t live up to what happened at last year’s Oscars: the applause heard around the world.
Will Smith, 54, slapped 94th Academy Awards presenter Chris Rock, 58, after the comedian joked about Jada Pinkett Smith’s hair — which Smith chalked up to his 51-year-old wife’s struggle with alopecia. The tone-deaf comment prompted the actor to storm onto the Los Angeles Dolby Theater stage and smack Rock in the face.
“It’s still shocking that this happened,” said the late-night talk show host Told the people. “To see something like this happen”The Maury Povich Show‘ is shocking. And then having it happen at the Oscars magnifies it about a million times.
He continued, “I think it’s something that everyone regrets and we’ll move to the back. One day it will be viewed the same way a person running naked on stage is viewed: an awkward moment we’ve all talked about and hopefully learned from.
Kimmel shared that he hasn’t spoken to Smith, but he has with The Rock — and he praised the comedian for how he handled it.
“I mean, being slapped in the face and being cool is something that Chris should be proud of,” Kimmel said. “Chris’ grandchildren, I hope, will still be proud of this when he’s dead and gone.”
After this, Smith apologized to Rock Instagram Post, describing his actions as “unacceptable and inexcusable”.
He also announced his resignation from the Academy following the furore, as the Academy promised a formal disciplinary review in return.
It was eventually decided that Smith would be barred from attending the Oscars for 10 years following the incident.
Smith recently teased a 2022 feud in the A TikTok video Where he acts like he’s about to ask for his Academy Award for Best Actor — which he won for his role in “King Richard” during that awful ceremony — what does it think of him.
On Wednesday, the struggling actor appeared on stage for the first time since a night of slapstick at the African American Film Critics Association Awards in Los Angeles, where he received the Beacon Award for his role in the recent Apple TV+ film “Salvation” — though He did not address the scandal.
As for Rock, he will reportedly talk about the night Smith killed him in an unedited. Netflix Specially called “selective outrage,” which Saturday at 10 p.m. ET.
“The other day, I watched ‘Mukti’ so I could watch him get whipped,” he jokes in the special.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will have a “crisis team” on standby at the 2023 Oscars, in case the Oscars aren’t slap-dash.
Kimmel will host the Oscars for the third time on Sunday, March 12, at 8 p.m. on ABC.
