The 2022 Oscars. Need I say more? The 94th Academy Awards occurred once again this year, and with it, came some sense of normalization for a world racked with COVID. But, alas, it too came with a multitude of its own problems. 

For those who don’t know the debacle that went down on March 27th, it was a night like no other. One that was full of deserved recognition for films, awards given to talented actors, and Chris Rock getting slapped by none other than Will Smith. Yes, you read that right.

Chris Rock, most known for his career as an actor and stand up comedian, made a joke that was less than favorable with who it was directed toward. The punchline of said joke was to purposely poke and make fun of Jada Pinkett Smith who recently shaved her head due to her ongoing struggle with alopecia. Rock’s joke, made during his presentation of the Best Documentary award, was a backhanded and all around terrible joke on his part. “Can’t wait to see you in G.I Jane 2,” Rock said.

And at first though it seemed to spark a pleasant reaction from the audience, the same could not be said about Will Smith and his wife. Moments after that bomb of a joke was dropped, Smith made his way up to Rock and with little to no hesitation with Smith slapped him on national television, proceeding to curse at Rock for his unreasonable joke. 

There have been a lot of mixed reactions about the situation. But whether you think Will Smith was right or wrong in his display of physical violence, one thing is for certain, it can and will have disastrous consequences. For one, the Academy discussed taking away Smith’s Oscar. “The Slap” has become a major controversy in both the acting world and at North Atlanta. What’s more, is that Smith was banned from the Oscar’s for 10 years as a result of his unacceptable behavior. In a following statement, Smith said “I accept and respect the Academy’s decision.”

Will Smith and Chris Rock have made their public appearances and stated their opinions about the situation following its occurrence. And social media – as it often does – has made countless jokes about the situation, with the slap turning into a meme. Regardless, the situation as a whole was an igniting spark for a flame of catastrophe, one that ruined the real intention of the night; awarding the acting world for their incredible accomplishments.