Will Smith-Chris Rock Oscar slapgate: Everything that's happened so far

The viewership of the Academy Awards, colloquially known as Oscars, jumped by more than 50 per cent this year when compared to the previous year -- 15.36 million as opposed to 2021's 10.4 million. That was still a fraction of the peak that the event enjoyed in 1998, which attracted 57 million viewers, but still one would think the report should have brought joy to the Academy. But it likely didn't. Because the reason that many viewers tuned in to the event did not have anything to do with the event itself or the fresh or innovative presentation. It was due to an incident in which Will Smith, who won his maiden Oscar later in the ceremony, whacked comedian and presenter Chris Rock across the face after the latter cracked a joke at the expense of the former's wife.

It has been months since the incident, which occurred on morning ofMarch 28 as per India time, but the controversy has refused to die down. Here is everything that has happened since that fateful evening:

Will Smith makes an oblique mention of the incident in the awards acceptance speech

Add WION as a Preferred Source

While accepting the Best Actor Oscar, Smith appeared to mention the slapping incident. But he did not appear very apologetic. "I know to do what we do, you gotta be able to take abuse, and you gotta be able to have people talk crazy about you. In this business, you gotta be able to have people disrespecting you and you gotta smile and you gotta pretend like that‘s OK," he said.

Smith added that Denzel Washington said to him after the slap, “At your highest moment, be careful. That’s when the devil comes for you.” He then did use the word 'apologise' but it was not addressed to Rock.

"I want to apologise to the Academy, I want to apologise to all my fellow nominees," Smith said.

Will Smith's Instagram post the day after the incident

After his non-apology at the Oscars, Smith regretted the incident in an Instagram post. He said his behaviour was "unacceptable and inexcusable". But then said he could not bear a joke about his wife's medical condition (alopecia). While referring to Jada, Rock had said he can’t wait to see ‘G.I. Jane’ 2. ‘G.I. Jane’ was a 1997 war movie that had Demi Moore’s protagonist, a female Navy Seal, shaving her head. The joke seemingly targetted Jada’s lack of hair, which is due to her condition. At first, Smith appeared to laugh, but after looking at his wife’s eyes roll, he walked up to the stage and attacked Rock.

In the Instagram post, Smith said, "I would like to publicly apologise to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness."

Chris Rock's first comment on the slapping incident

Also Read:Chris Rock says he is 'still processing' the slap by Will Smith at Oscars 2022

Now, it was Rock's turn to comment on the Oscar slap. At a standup show in Boston just a couple of days after the Oscars on Marcy 31, Rock began the routine while addressing the incident. He said he was still "kind of processing what happened" but assured his fans that he would talk about it at some point.

Will Smith gets banned from the Oscars for 10 years

As a punitive measure for his act of violence, in April the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences barred Smith from Oscars and any other events organised by the Academy for a decade following a meeting of the board of governors.

Chris Rock addresses the slap for the second time

In July, Rock talked about the incident for the second time, again during a stand-up show. As is his wont, he joked about the slap and stated that he is not a victim. "yeah, that s**t hurt," he said referring to the slap before adding, "But I shook [it] off and went to work the next day. I don't go to the hospital for a papercut."

Will Smith issues video apology to Chris Rock

Finally, on July 30, Smith shared a video in which he addressed the slap in more detail and also answered a few questions about it and the aftermath. In a video titled ‘It’s been a minute...’ that Smith shared on his social media accounts, he said he has been doing a lot of thinking and has decided to answer a few fair questions that have been posed to him.

“Chris, I apologise to you. My behaviour was unacceptable. I am here whenever you are ready to talk,” Smith said. He added, “That was one of the things about that moment. I just didn’t realize. I wasn’t thinking but how many people got hurt in that moment. So I want to apologise to Chris’ mother. I want to apologise to Chris’ family.”

Will Smith's reputation steeply declines after the slap

In August, it was reported that Will Smith's reputation saw a steep decline due to the slap. As per Variety, Smith's popularity and approval ratings declined significantly following the Oscar ceremony. In the data provided by Q Scores to the publication, he was one of the top 5 or 10 rated actors in the US. But after the incident, his Q Score went down to 24 from 39. Henry Schafer, executive VP of Q Scores, said this is a significant drop. At the same time, his negative rating went up from 10 to 26.

Chris Rock claims he was invited to host the 2023 Oscars

Also Read:Chris Rock says he was asked to be host of Oscars 2023, but declined. Here's why

In a Chris Rock show in Phoenix, Arizona, the comedian claimed that he was invited by the Academy to host the 2023 Oscars ceremony. But he declined. He explained his decision by joking that returning to the Oscars would have been like returning to the scene of a crime. He also said he was offered a Super Bowl commercial as well, but turned it down as well.