Breaking Down All the Jokes About Will Smith’s Slap at This Year’s Oscars

Will Smith’s Oscar slap rang across the world during last year’s Oscars night. Unsurprisingly, the guests couldn’t help but remember it during this year’s ceremony.

Recall when Will Smith stormed the stage and struck Chris Rock as the latter made unsavory jokes about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.

As a result, the host made slight nods to last year’s fiasco during his monologue. Check how he alluded to “The Slap” that night.

What were the jokes about Will Smith’s Slap?

Jimmy Kimmel jokes about the Will Smith & Chris Rock #Oscar slap:

"If anyone in this theater commits an act of violence at any point in the show, you will be awarded the Oscar for Best Actor and permitted to give a 19-minute-long speech." pic.twitter.com/d2PQFqm30L

— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) March 13, 2023

The 2023 Oscars night went traditional by replacing its three hosts with the usual solo personality. It was late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel’s turn this year.

He started the night by sharing a few words about the event, but it didn’t take long before Kimmel spoke of “The Slap.”

The talk show host referred to the Will Smith issue by quoting lyrics from one of his songs:

“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 remarked.

He added, “There will be no nonsense tonight. We have no time for shenanigans.” Then, Kimmel continued, “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.”

“Five Irish actors are nominated tonight, which means the odds of another fight on stage just went way up,” the talk show funnyman said. 

Then, Kimmel shifted to a more serious tone while alluding to the Will Smith slap. “We want you to have fun, we want you to feel safe, and most important, we want me to be safe.”

Later, the late-night comedian fired another zinger. “The next movie is a documentary feature, which is where we had that little skirmish last year,” Kimmel said.

He continued, “Hopefully, this time, it goes off without a hitch. Or at least without Hitch,” referring to one of Will Smith’s movies.

About halfway through the event, Jimmy Kimmel remarked, “This point in the show kind of makes you miss the slapping a little, right?”

Nevertheless, Will Smith obtained the Oscar award for best actor for his starring role in the film “King Richard.”