Trevor Noah opened the sixty fourth Annual Grammy Awards by alluding to Will Smith’s controversial slap of Chris Rock throughout final week’s Oscars.
The Grammys befell only one week after the Academy Awards, the place Smith took to the stage and slapped Rock after the comic made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith‘s bald head whereas presenting the documentary characteristic class.
“Do not even consider this as an award present,” Noah stated in regards to the ceremony.
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“It is a live performance the place we’re giving out awards, we shall be listening to music, dancing, sing, conserving individuals’s names out of our mouths and we’re going to give individuals awards all all through the evening. So let’s get straight into it.”
Questlove additionally addressed Will Smith‘s slap whereas presenting the Grammy for track of the yr, saying, “All proper, I’m going to current this award and I belief that you simply individuals will keep 500 toes away from me. As they are saying it is much better to provide than to obtain. Properly, I am not so certain about that as a result of final Sunday it felt fairly good to obtain.”
Questlove gained the Oscar for documentary characteristic proper after Will Smith slapped Chris Rock.
Each Smith and Rock mentioned the incident themselves within the days after the Oscar ceremony. Smith apologised to Rock on March 28. The actor revealed a press release on social media, writing, “My habits eventually evening’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable. … I wish to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I used to be out of line and I used to be mistaken. I’m embarrassed and my actions weren’t indicative of the person I wish to be.”
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Rock waited till his March 30 stand-up comedy present in Boston to deal with the slap publicly, though the comic largely stayed away from speaking in regards to the incident. Rock advised the viewers, “I haven’t got a bunch of s–t about what occurred, so in the event you got here to listen to that, I’ve a complete present I wrote earlier than this weekend. I am nonetheless sort of processing what occurred. So, in some unspecified time in the future I will speak about that s–t. And it will likely be critical and humorous.”
Combined stories have since surfaced about how the Academy and Oscars producers ought to’ve dealt with the incident throughout the ceremony. The Academy claimed it requested Smith to depart, however the actor refused. Nonetheless, sources advised Selection that Smith was by no means formally requested to exit the occasion.
Oscars producer Will Packer advised Good Morning America that he requested the Academy to not “bodily take away” Smith from the premises as a result of it was not what Rock needed. Though LAPD was reportedly able to arrest Smith, Rock declined to press expenses or file a report.
Smith introduced April 1 that he was resigning from the Academy. He nonetheless faces “suspension, expulsion or different sanctions” from the Academy, which condemned his violent actions following the Oscars.
The following Academy board assembly is scheduled for April 18.
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