The 95th Academy Awards were held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles and the event was hosted by Jimmy Kimmel. He kickstarted the prestigious award show with a mention of last year’s Oscar slapgate. He joked, ‘Five Irish actors are nominated tonight, which means the chances of a fight just went way up.’
‘We want you to have fun, feel safe and, most importantly, we want me 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. But seriously, the academy has a crisis team in place. If anything unpredictable or violent happens during the show, sit there and do absolutely nothing. Maybe even give the assailant a hug,’ Kimmel told the audience.
‘And if any of you get mad at a joke and decide you want to get jiggy with it — it’s not going to be easy,’ Kimmel concluded.
In 2022, Will Smith shocked the audience when slapped comedian Chris Rock on stage. Rock had made a controversial joke about Smith's wife Jada Pinkett Smith's bald head, which she shaved following an alopecia diagnosis.
Will Smith has been banned from attending the Academy Awards for 10 years following the incident.
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