Drama is more than just a movie genre when it comes to the Oscars.
After all, the Academy Awards have had their fair share of controversies and pearl-clutching moments since their inception nearly a century ago, including in recent years.
Let’s take the 2022 awards ceremony as an example. That’s when Will Smith stormed the stage during the Best Documentary Feature award presentation and slapped Chris Rock, who had dug out Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head, leaving everyone in the Dolby Theater stunned – not to mention the millions watching at home.
“Keep your wife’s name out of that fucking king’s mouth,” Smith told the comedian, to which the comedian retorted, “Hey, that’s a GI Jane joke.”
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air alumnus eventually apologized for his violent outburst, but was given a 10-year ban (figuratively this time) from the academy, preventing him from attending any events until 2032.
“It was a scary night, as you can imagine,” Smith, who won Best Actor for his role in “King Richard” shortly after the slap, recalled during an appearance on The Daily Show in December 2022. “There’s a lot of nuance and complexity to it. But at the end of the day, I lost it.”
