Source: ROBYN BECK / Getty
Will Smith’s infamous slap was a running joke at the 2022 Grammy Awards.
It’s been a week since the King Richard actor slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars following his insensitive “G.I. Jane 2” joke aimed at Jada Pinkett Smith, and of course, a few celebs just had to poke fun at the topic during Sunday’s ceremony. Reading Rainbow host, LeVar Burton was the first to touch on the slap that was heard from around the world.
Before introducing comedian Nate Bargatze during the Grammys Premiere Ceremony, the 65-year-old told the audience:
“I want to warn you all that our next presenter is a comedian if you know what I mean, so I need to caution everybody. Remain in your seats and keep your hands to yourself.”
The Comedy Central star then walked out onto the stage wearing a huge helmet, eliciting a ton of laughter from audience members.
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Returning Grammy host, Trevor Noah, also joked about Smith’s smackdown, telling the star-studded group of crowd-goers:
“We’re gonna be keeping people’s names out of our mouths.”
Questlove, who received his first Oscar for the compelling music documentary Summer of Soul last Sunday, also commented on the viral moment.
“I’m gonna present this award and I trust that you people will stay 500 feet away from me,” he quipped.
On April 1, Smith, 53, announced that he would be resigning from the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences.
“Things unfolded in a way we could not have anticipated,” the academy said in a statement. “While we would like to clarify that Mr. Smith was asked to leave the ceremony and refused, we also recognize we could have handled the situation differently.”
While David Rubin, the President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences added:
“We will continue to move forward with our disciplinary proceedings against Mr. Smith for violations of the Academy’s Standards of Conduct, in advance of our next scheduled board meeting on April 18.”
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