During his Sunday night show at the Arizona Financial Theatre in Phoenix, Chris Rock informed the public that he was offered the role of hosting the 2023 Oscars. However, he chose to decline this invitation.
For most people, hosting the Oscars would be the role of a lifetime and impossible to pass up. Chris Rock, however, has no intention of returning to the place where the infamous slap occurred. As months continue to go by, the event of Will Smith slapping Chris Rock across the face during the 2022 Oscars remains amongst people, especially Chris Rock. This event shocked the world and the consequences of Will Smith’s outburst continue.
During the time of the slap, Will Smith stated that the jokes made about his wife Jada Pinkett-Smith’s bald head, which resulted from her Alopecia medical condition, were “too much for [him] to bear.” However, in the months that followed, Will Smith made an official apology to Rock’s family, his own family and Chris Rock himself. Smith, along with the rest of his family, merely wished for peace and to move on from this incident.
The situation is far less heightened in present days, however, Will Smith continues to face the repercussions of the situation. Though he did resign from the Academy after his apology to Rock, the Academy’s board of governors took additional official action and banned him from returning to the Oscars or attending any Academy events for 10 years. This occurrence from the 2022 Oscars has, and will continue to have, lasting effects on everyone involved.
While Smith received scrutiny and punishments, Rock has been awarded praise by being asked to host the 2023 Oscars. If he did not decline this offer, it would have been Rock’s third time hosting the awards show. He was already the host of the Oscars in 2005 and 2016. Chris Rock is not out of the clear yet, as the manner in which he declined to host the next awards show was viewed as offensive and distasteful by some.
During his recent show in Phoenix, he compared hosting the 2023 Oscars to returning to the scene of a crime. This statement became controversial because Rock’s statement referenced the murder trial of O.J. Simpson. The victim and Simpson’s ex-wife, Nicole Brown, left a pair of glasses at a restaurant, which eventually led to her tragic death. Rock stated that him hosting another awards show would be similar to asking Brown to “go back to the restaurant.” Though many people found his comparison insulting, Rock has not made any comments about this statement and he continues to stand firm on his decision not to host the awards show.
So far, the Academy of Motion Pictures, Arts and Sciences has not made any comments regarding Rock’s announcement. The Academy hopes to move on from the controversial event that took place during the previous awards show and they are continuing to find a host for the upcoming Oscars.
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