Oscars boss Bill Kramer has applauded Chris Rock for speaking "his truth" after being slapped by Will Smith at the 2022 ceremony.
The Academy's CEO has backed Chris Rock for speaking about the moment Will Smith slapped him at the Oscars last year
Last year's Academy Awards were marred by drama when Best Actor winner Will stormed the stage and belted host Chris after he made a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith and the comedian has since opened up about the incident in a stand-up show filmed for Netflix just days before the 2023 prizegiving.
Now Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences CEO Bill has insisted Chris was right to speak out, telling Deadline.com: " You know, I think what’s important for us is that we’re moving forward ... You know, I think what’s important for us is that we’re moving forward. And you know, Pete, you were at the Nominees Luncheon where Janet Yang very clearly owned that we, as an Academy, have to be better prepared and have to be much more nimble and clear in our response to things. I really want to focus on that. You know, I think it’s great that Chris spoke his truth. I can’t speak to the timing of that, but we are ready to move forward ... As an Academy, have to be better prepared and have to be much more nimble and clear in our response to things. I really want to focus on that. You know, I think it’s great that Chris spoke his truth. I can’t speak to the timing of that, but we are ready to move forward."
It comes after Bill recently revealed the Academy has added a "crisis team" to help deal with any drama during the ceremony in future.
During his 'Selective Outrage' stand-up show in Baltimore, Maryland, Chris opened up for the first time about the incident at the 2022 ceremony after keeping quiet for nearly a year.
During his turn on stage, he told the audience: "Everybody knows, yes it happened, I got slapped a year ago – I got smacked by this m***********. And people are like, ‘Did it hurt?’ It still hurts. I’ve got 'Summertime' ringing in my ears." He also accused Smith of "practicing selective outrage" and made reference to Jada's 2020 public confession that she had had an "entanglement" with singer August Alsina while she and her husband were on a break. Rock said: "Will Smith practices selective outrage. Everybody knows what the f*** happened. And everybody really knows I had nothing to do with that s***. I didn’t have any 'entanglements' ... "Everybody in here has been cheated on. None of us have ever been interviewed by the person that cheated on us on television … She hurt him way more than he hurt me."
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