After being slapped by Will Smith at the 2022 Oscars, it’s a good chance Chris Rock may emcee next year’s event. The world was shocked when Smith walked on stage and slapped Rock across the face during the televised show that aired on Saturday, March 27. The assault was a result of Rock making a joke about Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith, who has a bald head from battling with alopecia.
Within weeks, the Academy decided to ban Smith from attending the Oscars and any-related events for 10 years, in person or virtually. But according to ABC’s president of Entertainment, Rock is being welcomed with open arms to act as next year’s host.
The veteran comedian was a presenter at this year’s Oscars while Wanda Sykes, Regina Hall and Amy Schumer took the reins as hosts. According to Deadline, president Craig Erwich said it was a “really successful year for the show” despite the mishap on stage. Rock was a presenter at the televised event.
“My assessment of the Oscars was that it was really a successful year for the show. Obviously, there was a lot of controversy, which overshadowed a lot of the positive things about the show, but I was really happy with the program,” said Erwich. “Even before that very unfortunate moment, the show started off up year over year, and we came back in a big way.”
He continued, “It was the biggest bounce-back of any award show this season. If you look at what they were trying to do, which is really bring entertainment back to the program, they had three amazing hosts, clips, and incredible musical performances. I thought it was a great way for the show to reclaim its place on the mantle. There’s always things to learn and we’ll endeavor to do even better next year.”
Everyone had something to say about the Oscars slap including the show’s producer Will Packer and Chris’ younger brother Tony Rock. Actors David Oyelowo and Denzel Washington and comedian Kevin Hart also chimed in on the discussion about how the incident impacted the industry. Meanwhile, Ray J gathered a squad of investors who were willing to pay $50 million in a fight between the two actors.
Chris Rock has yet to publicly accept Smith’s public apology on Instagram. He’s only brought up the incident briefly during stops on his “Ego Death World Tour.” But for the right price, he said he may go into detail about the matter.
