Jimmy Kimmel: Chris Rock ‘Should Be Proud Of’ Staying Cool After Oscars Slap
Jimmy Kimmel is reflecting on last year’s Oscars telecast when Will Smith slapped Chris Rock across the face onstage. The late-night talk show was watching the show from home. “It’s…
Jimmy Kimmel attends the world premiere of Netflix’s “Your Place Or Mine” at Regency Village Theatre on February 02, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. Chris Rock is seen backstage during the 94th Annual Academy Awards at Dolby Theatre on March 27, 2022 in Hollywood, California.
Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images/Al Seib /A.M.P.A.S. via Getty ImagesJimmy Kimmel is reflecting on last year's Oscars telecast when Will Smith slapped Chris Rock across the face onstage. The late-night talk show was watching the show from home.
"It's still shocking that that happened," Kimmel, 55, tells People. "To see something like that happen outside of like The Maury Povich Show is shocking. And then for it to happen on the Oscars magnifies it by about a million times…. I think it's something that everybody regrets and that we will move past. One day it will be looked at in the same way as that guy running onstage naked is looked at: a weird moment that we all talked about and we hopefully learn from."
While Kimmel hasn't talked to Smith, he has touched base with Rock, and commends the comedian for keeping calm in the moment. "I mean, to be slapped in the face and to stay that cool is something that Chris should be proud of," he says. "Chris's grandchildren, I hope, will still be proud of that when he's dead and gone."
RELATED: Will Smith Opens Up About Oscars Slap
This year's Oscars takes place on Sunday, March 12, with Kimmel set to host the evening for a third time. The red carpet pre-show will be on at 6:30 p.m. Watch the 2023 Oscars on ABC live at 8 p.m. ET or stream it on the ABC app with your television provider, Hulu Live TV, YouTubeTV, AT&T TV and FuboTV (many of these services offer a free trial as well).
Meanwhile, Chris Rock will be performing this weekend for Netflix's first-ever live, global streaming event. Chris Rock: Selective Outrage will stream at 10 p.m. ET on Saturday (March 4). Selective Outrage is the comedian’s second special for Netflix following 2018’s Tambourine. Since April 2022, Rock has been traveling the globe as part of his Ego Death World Tour, which marked his return to live comedy after a five-year break. Rock will perform in Baltimore, at Maryland’s iconic Hippodrome Theatre, with the pre-show, The Show Before the Show, to be hosted by comedian and actor Ronny Chieng with appearances from Arsenio Hall, Leslie Jones, Deon Cole and more.
Right after the show, David Spade and Dana Carvey will tap in as co-hosts for The Show After the Show. Taking place live from Los Angeles' The Comedy Store, guests will include comedian JB Smoove and six-time NBA champion and MVP Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Both The Show After the Show and The Show Before the Show will only be available live on March 4.
‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’ Dominates Oscar Nominations
On Tuesday, Jan. 24, Riz Ahmed and Allison Williams announced the 23 nominees for the 95th Academy Awards at 8:30 a.m. ET. The presentation took place at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater. The Banshees of Inisherin, Elvis, Everything Everywhere All at Once, The Fabelmans, Tár and Top Gun: Maverick dominated nominations, with Everything Everywhere All at Once leading the nominations with 11.
In a big surprise, Fayetteville native Brian Tyree Henry received his first Oscar nomination. He was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his role in "Causeway."
The 95th Oscars will take place Sunday, March 12 at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood with host Jimmy Kimmel. This will be Kimmel’s third time hosting, having hosted the Oscars in both 2017 and 2018. Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner of White Cherry Entertainment are serving as executive producers and showrunners, with Weiss also directing the show for the eighth consecutive year. The awards can be watched live on ABC and televised in over 200 territories worldwide.
See the full list of nominations below:
Actress In A Supporting Role
Angela Bassett -- Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Hong Chau -- The Whale
Kerry Condon -- The Banshees of Inisherin
Jamie Lee Curtis -- Everything Everywhere All At Once
Stephanie Hsu -- Everything Everywhere All At Once
Costume Design
Babylon
Black Panther
Elvis
Everything Everywhere
Mrs. Harris Goes To Paris
Sound
All Quiet On The Western Front
Avatar: The Way of Water
The Batman
Elvis
Top Gun: Marverick
Original Score
All Quiet On The Western Front
Babylon
The Banshees of Inisherin
Everything Everywhere All At Once
The Fablemans
Adapted Screenplay
All Quiet On The Western Front
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Living
Top Gun: Maverick
Women Talking
Original Screenplay
The Banshees of Inisherin
Everything Everywhere All At Once
The Fablemans
Tar
Triangle of Sadness
Best Live Action Short Film
An Irish Goodbye
Ivalu
Le Pupille
Night Ride
The Red Suitcase
Best Animated Short Film
The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse
The Sailor
Ice Merchants
My Year of Dicks
An Ostrich Told Me The World Is Fake And I Think I Believe It
Actor In A Supporting Role
Brendan Gleeson -- The Banshees of Inisherin
Brian Tyree Henry -- Causeway
Judd Hirsh --The Fablemans
Barry Keoghan -- The Banshees of Inisherin
Ke Huy Quan -- Everything Everywhere All Once
Original Song
"Applause"'
"Hold My Hand"
"Lift Me Up"
"Naatu Naatu"
"This Is A Life"
Documentary Feature Film
All That Breathes
All The Beauty And The Bloodshed
Fire of Love
House Made of Splinters
Navalny
Documentary Short Film
The Elephant Whisperers
Haulout
How Do You Measure A Year
The Martha Mitchell Effect
Stranger At The Gate
International Feature Film
All Quiet On The Western Front
Argentina, 1985
Close
EO
The Quiet Girl
Animated Feature Film
Makeup and Hairstyling
Production Design
Film Editing
Cinematography
Visual Effects
Actor In A Leading Role
Austin Butler -- Elvis
Colin Farrell -- The Banshees of Inisherin
Brendan Fraser -- The Whale
Paul Mescal -- Aftersun
Bill Nighy -- Living
Actress In A Leading Role
Cate Blanchett -- Tar
Ana de Armas -- Blonde
Andrea Riseborough --- To Leslie
Michelle Williams -- The Fablemans
Michelle Yeoh -- Everything Everywhere All At Once
