HomeEntertainment NewsOscars 2023: 'Crisis team' on standby to avoid Will Smith-type slap incident: Report 

Oscars 2023: 'Crisis team' on standby to avoid Will Smith-type slap incident: Report 

The moves reportedly comes after a year ago, "Men in Black" actor Will Smith walked the stage and slapped Chris Rock in the face after he made a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, 51, and her bald head. Rock reportedly did not know that Pinkett Smith suffers from alopecia, a disease that causes hair loss, reported the New York Post. 

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By CNBCTV18.com February 23, 2023, 11:29:13 AM IST (Published)

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Oscars 2023: 'Crisis team' on standby to avoid Will Smith-type slap incident: Report 
Ahead of the Oscars 2023, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has put in place a "crisis team". This comes as a response to the shocking incident at Oscars 2022 when American rapper Will Smith slapped Chris Rock after the latter reportedly made a joke about Smith's wife.


The crisis team will reportedly be able to take immediate action if anything goes wrong at the event on March 12. "We have a whole crisis team, something we have never had before," sources told TMZ.  "We have run many scenarios. We hope we will be prepared for anything that we may not anticipate right now."

"Men in Black" actor Will Smith slapped Rock at the 2022 Oscars while the latter was presenting the best documentary feature category. Rock made a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, 51, and her head, which appeared to offend her, and moments later Smith walked up to the stage and slapped Rock. Rock later said he did not know that Pinkett suffers from alopecia, a disease that causes hair loss

Also Read: Oscars 2023: A look at some of the biggest controversies of the Academy Awards

Until days after the viral incident, no action was taken against Smith Instead, he gave a tearful acceptance address after winning his first Oscar and sang on his own songs at an after-party. But Smith was ultimately suspended from the Academy for 10 years.

Smith publicly apologised to Rock later in July and claimed the American stand-up comedian Rock was "not ready" to talk with him one-on-one.

Rock, meanwhile, allegedly declined chances to publicly address the slap, including a Super Bowl commercial with Smith and a tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey, instead choosing to reflect it at his comedy shows. He also reportedly declined to host this year’s Golden Globes and Oscars.

Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences President Janet Yang spoke about last year’s disastrous disruption at the organisation’s luncheon hosted for this year’s Oscar nominees.

"I’m sure you all remember we experienced an unprecedented event at the Oscars,” she said, according to Variety. She said what happened was "unacceptable" and the response from "our organisation was inadequate"

"We learned from this that the academy must be fully transparent and accountable in our actions — and particularly in times of crisis you must act swiftly, compassionately and decisively for ourselves and for our industry. You should and can expect no less from us going forward," Yang added.

Also Read: Anti-war epic ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ frontrunner for the big award at Oscar 2023
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