Jimmy Kimmel Won't Let The Oscars Slap Die

To refresh everyone's memory, Chris Rock has made jokes about Will Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith in the past. It all came to a head at the 2022 Oscars, where Smith was there for his nomination as the titular role in King Richard. Rock noticed Pinkett Smith's shaved head due to her alopecia and compared her to G.I. Jane. The most meme-able moment came next: Smith approached Rock and slapped him. When he retreated back to his seat, Smith yelled, "Keep my wife's name out your fucking mouth!" Smith later accepted the award for Best Actor.

In the aftermath of the incident, Smith was banned from the ceremony and any other Academy event for the next decade. He published two apologies. Rock, meanwhile, recently starred in his latest Netflix comedy special where he cracks jokes about the incident.

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The Academy refused to take any chances this year, mobilizing a crisis team that will spring into action both on the ground and online should another incident occur. The 2023 Oscars went off without a hitch, although this year's host Jimmy Kimmel made sure people didn't forget about the slap heard 'round the world.

Kimmel opened the show saying, "We know this is a special night for you. We want you to have fun. We want you to feel safe. And most importantly, we want me to feel safe. So we have strict policies in place. If anyone in this theater commits an act of violence at any point during the show, you will be awarded the Oscar for Best Actor and permitted to give a 19-minute-long speech."

He also poked fun at the lack of response from the awards team last year as Smith was not asked to leave the premises. "Seriously, The Academy has a crisis team in place. If anything unpredictable or violent happens during the ceremony. Just do what you did last year: nothing. Sit there and do absolutely nothing. Maybe even give the assailant a hug."

Kimmel also shouts out the long list of people one would have to get through before they can hurt him, including Michelle Yeoh, Pedro Pascal, Michael B. Jordan and even his trusty longtime sidekick, Guillermo Rodriguez.

The jokes didn't stop there. Throughout the night, Kimmel made other quips including, "Please put your hands together and then keep them to yourself," and "At this point in the show, it kind of makes you miss the slapping a little bit, right?" The show ended with one final jab at the infamous altercation when Kimmel updates a sign that reads "Number of Oscars Telecasts Without Incident" with "001."

Let's hope we can finally let this incident die before Rock makes another special about it.

Photo courtesy of Kevin Winter/Getty