Oscars 2022: Will Smith’s Slap Points to Bigger Issues at the Academy Awards
The 2022 Academy Awards had a lot going for them — diversity among winners, an efficient run time, hosts that kept the show moving — but the ceremony will forever be remembered for Will Smith slapping Chris Rock. The incident took the spotlight from the winners that followed, led to an awkward best actor acceptance speech for Smith, and drew the ire of many fans.
Oscars co-producer Will Packer was just as shocked as anyone about what transpired, which points to a bigger issue with the Academy Awards.
Smith slaps Rock, and he could face the consequences
Rock declined to press charges, and Smith and Rock settled their beef before the night was over (at least according to Diddy), but Smith could still face the music.
He was asked and refused to leave the Oscars. The Academy condemned his behavior and apologized to Rock, and it also opened an investigation that could lead to Smith’s suspension or expulsion. Based on the Academy’s code of conduct, he could have his Oscar win stripped.
No matter the outcome, Smith is the big loser in this situation. Oscars co-producer Will Packer was as shocked as anyone by what happened, and but his missteps prove there are some major problems with the Academy Awards.
Packer’s comments and missteps point to larger issues at the Academy Awards
Packer and co-producer Shayla Cowan were running a tight ship before the slap heard ‘round the world. Beyoncé’s remote live performance went off without a hitch. First-time hosts Regina Hall, Amy Schumer, and Wanda Sykes successfully kept the show humming along.
Then came the slap, and everything changed.
Like the rest of the world watching on TV, Packer was shocked to see Smith stride on stage and slap Rock. He assumed it was part of a bit, an act the two concocted on their own.
“I thought it was part of something that Chris and Will were doing on their own,” Packer told ABC News (via Variety). “I thought it was a bit. I wasn’t concerned at all.”
Will Packer
And that’s part of the problem.
As the show’s producer, it’s Packer’s responsibility to know what’s happening. He should know if a presenter and audience member are going off-script. That’s not to say Smith and Rock couldn’t or shouldn’t have teamed up for their own bit, but at the very least, Packer needs to demand he knows about it.
But Packer admitted that of all the scripted jokes the writers penned for Rock, he delivered none of them. And Packer welcomed it.
“I said, ‘Watch this. He’s gonna kill,’ because I knew he had an amazing lineup of jokes,” Packer told ABC. “[H]e didn’t tell one of the planned jokes. He was immediately freestyling. But if there’s anyone you don’t worry about going in front of a live audience and riffing off the cuff, it’s Chris Rock.”
That’s another problem.
The Oscars pack a lot into a relatively small window: Intro, musical numbers, comedic interludes, in memoriam, and award presentations and acceptance speeches, of course. Producers need to have tighter control over the show, including ensuring that presenters stick to the script. That Rock immediately deviated is squarely on Packer’s shoulders.
Perhaps Packer’s biggest misstep happened after the slap, though.
Packer didn’t speak with Smith
Packer told ABC that he grabbed Rock when he walked off stage to confirm it was a real confrontation. But he didn’t speak with Smith immediately after the slap, which seems like a conversation that should have happened.
Rock declined to press charges, and Packer stepped in when Academy leaders moved to remove Smith from the venue. There might not have been an ideal time amid a busy awards show to pull Smith aside and get his side of the story, but there should have been some action. Still, the fact that nothing happened — including no discussion with Smith — shows lack of control and comes across as condoning Smith’s extreme actions.
Rock’s improve, Packer’s reaction to it, and the fact nothing at all happened to Smith coalesce into major issues at the Academy Awards.
Oscars in trouble
Packer pitched a four-hour Academy Awards show and pushed to trim it down to three hours as a way to keep viewers engaged for the whole show. Even though he succeeded, the move didn’t come without controversy.
Cutting several awards from the live broadcast (only to edit in the acceptance speeches) was a controversial decision made well ahead of awards night. No matter who made the decision, it cheapens an event that purports to celebrate all the elements of moviemaking.
Packer points to the ratings spike during Troy Kotsur’s acceptance speech as an indication his show was on the path to success.
But Smith’s slap, the moments leading up to it, and how Packer and the Academy handled it show the Oscars have bigger issues.
