Oscars 2023: Chris Rock and Will Smith's slapgate revisited ahead of Academy Awards

Actor Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars stage in 2022 and it became one of the biggest controversies of the year. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) has even put a 'crisis team' in place to deal with unforeseen incidents. The infamous 'slapgate' happened a year ago and a lot has changed since then.

Rock came out with a comedy special titled Chris Rock: Selective Outrage, where he finally opened up about the slap controversy. The stand-up comedian took digs at both Smith and his wife Jada Pinkett Smith. With the 95th Academy Awards approaching, let's take a look back at the major events that have taken place after the Oscars slap.

A timeline of events following the Slapgate

After Will Smith assaulted Chris Rock, many wondered if the moment was choreographed and rehearsed. Rock declined to press charges against Smith and did not take the legal route against The Pursuit of Happiness star. 

Rock addressed the incident in jest during his tours. He said that he was still in the process of assessing what had happened. Twelve days after the slap incident, The Academy banned Smith from attending the Oscars for a period of 10 years. 

Smith also put in his resignation from the Academy's membership. The Independence Day actor issued an apology to Rock later in March and posted a video on YouTube titled, “It’s been a minute…” in which he apologised for his outburst at length. 

Rock did not react to the apology video posted by Smith and declined to be interviewed regarding the incident, including an offer from Oprah Winfrey.

Chris Rock’s Selective Outrage finally features Rock’s reaction to the slap incident. He made plenty of jokes about both Will Smith and his Jada Pinkett Smith. The stand-up special was released on March 4, 2023, almost a week before the 95th Academy Awards ceremony.