Rock, Chris
Will Smith Barred From Attending Oscars for 10 Years After Slap
LOS ANGELES — The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said on Friday that Will Smith would be barred from attending the Oscars for 10 years because of the “harmful behavior” he displayed when he struck the comedian Chris Rock during last month’s ceremony. The ban came a week after the actor resigned from […]
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One Last Takeaway From ‘The Slap’: Leave Black Women’s Hair Alone
Generations of Black American women recall weekend afternoons spent watching an iron comb glow like molten lava on the stove burner. We waited for our mothers to wield the hot comb like a weapon, ready to press our thicket of coils into submission to make us more culturally palatable. Even at a young age, I […]
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Will Smith Resigns From Academy After Slapping Chris Rock at Oscars
LOS ANGELES — Will Smith, who slapped the comedian Chris Rock at the Oscars, said Friday that he was resigning from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, saying that he had “betrayed” its trust with conduct that was “shocking, painful, and inexcusable.” The sudden announcement came late Friday afternoon, days after the Academy […]
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Will Smith Refused to Leave Oscars After Slap, Academy Says
LOS ANGELES — The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said Wednesday that the actor Will Smith was asked to leave the Oscars ceremony after he slapped Chris Rock onstage Sunday night, but that the actor refused to go. “Things unfolded in a way we could not have anticipated,” the academy said in a […]
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Roxane Gay: Will Smith Was Wrong, but Being Thin-Skinned Is Not
Ms. Pinkett Smith has alopecia, a condition resulting in hair loss that disproportionately affects Black women. It was in poor taste for Mr. Rock to poke fun at her hair. He has reportedly said he did not know about her alopecia, but he probably at least knew that the joke would sting, since he produced […]
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Will Smith’s Slap Wasn’t the Only Astonishing Thing About the Oscars
This pandemic is still killing us. The virus at its center is one of the body. But it’s also costing us our minds. A sacked Capitol building, an invaded and decimated sovereign nation, a raft of refugee crises, more American murders, more overdoses, more harassment — for being Asian, for being Black, for being trans, […]
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Best and Worst Moments of the 2022 Oscars
The 94th Academy Awards will forever be known for one, did-that-just-happen moment: Will Smith slapping Chris Rock after the comedian made a joke about his wife. That was probably not on anyone’s Oscars bingo card. Instead, going into the evening, there was mostly uncertainty: What would the ceremony do to acknowledge the Russian invasion of […]
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Will Smith Apologizes to Chris Rock After Academy Condemns His Slap
LOS ANGELES — Will Smith apologized to the comedian Chris Rock on Monday evening for slapping him during Sunday night’s Oscars telecast after the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which administers the awards, denounced his actions and opened an inquiry into the incident. Mr. Smith, who had pointedly not apologized to Mr. Rock […]
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‘CODA’ Triumphs at the Oscars, but Onstage Slap Takes Center Stage
Notably, the Russian invasion of Ukraine was not mentioned during the opening to the lighthearted show, which featured a D.J., a second standup routine from Schumer, and a sketch from Hall that found a shirtless Chalamet and other male stars onstage. Three sports stars — Tony Hawk, Kelly Slater and Shaun White — arrived to […]
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