Chris Rock to host Oscars 2023 after his feud with Will Smith? Here's all you need to know

Hollywood actor Will Smith and comedian Chris Rock's feud became the biggest takeaway from the Academy Awards 2022. The King Richard star lost his cool as Rock poked a joke at Jada Pinkett Smith and slapped him in the middle of the ceremony. Smith received a lot of backlash from fans and the entire industry. Eventually, the actor was also banned from Academy Awards for the next 10 years and many of his projects faced postponement. While the feud is still one of the most talked-about topics in the industry, reports of Rock becoming the next host for the awards have also begun to make rounds.

Will Chris Rock host Oscars 2023?

As per the latest report by Deadline, ABC is set to air the 95th Annual Academy Awards on March 12, 2023. Craig Erwich, president of entertainment at ABC, recently had a chat with the leading daily and talked about Oscars 2022. Despite the Will Smith-Chris Rock altercation, Erwich mentioned Oscars 2022 was "really successful." He also mentioned that he was open to the idea of the comedian hosting next year's show.

He said, "My assessment of the Oscars was that it was really a successful year for the show. Obviously there was a lot of controversy, which overshadowed a lot of the positive things about the show, but I was really happy with the program." “Even before that very unfortunate moment, the show started off up year over year, and we came back in a big way," Erwich added. 

He further added how the feud was the "biggest bounce back" of this year's award ceremony. He highlighted how the Award showrunners tried to bring back entertainment this year with three hosts and many performances. He said, "It was the biggest bounce back of any award show this season. If you look at what they were trying to do, which is really bring entertainment back to the program, they had three amazing hosts, clips, and incredible musical performances, I thought it was a great way for the show to reclaim its place on the mantle." "There’s always things to learn and we’ll endeavor to do even better next year," he added.

Image: AP