Iconic Oscars host Billy Crystal jokes about Will Smith-Chris Rock slap during Broadway show

Oscars co-host Amy Schumer had one of many night time’s finest advert libs when she reappeared on the telecast about quarter-hour after Will Smith shocked the world — together with all of these seated contained in the Kodak Theatre… minus Questlove — by slapping presenter Chris Rock when the comic made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head.

“Did I miss something?,” Schumer quipped, breaking (some) of the strain within the room. “There’s a special vibe in right here.”

Former Oscar hosts have weighed in, too, within the days since.

That features one of the crucial beloved emcees of all time, Billy Crystal, who talked about the immediately notorious second throughout a curtain name for the ultimate costume rehearsal of his new Broadway musical adaptation, Mr. Saturday Evening.

“We bought via a present and nobody bought slapped,” cracked Crystal to laughs and cheers in a video posted on the present’s Twitter (watch under). “Unbelievable.”

Crystal hosted the Oscars 9 occasions between 1990 and 2012 (second most to Bob Hope’s 19), bringing a mix of fast wit and humorous song-and-dance parodies that earned him essential acclaim, excessive scores and 4 Emmys.

Different former hosts to talk publicly concerning the incident embody Jimmy Kimmel and Whoopi Goldberg — which is smart contemplating each have speak reveals. (In a viral tweet Sunday night, Conan O’Brien — who has hosted the Emmy however not the Oscars — joked, “Simply noticed the Will Smith slap. Anybody have a late night time present I can borrow only for tomorrow?”).

Kimmel, who hosted consecutive Oscars telecasts in 2017 and 2018, appeared on The Invoice Simmons Podcast, the place he expressed shock over Smith’s violence. Kimmel referred to as Smith “the nicest man in Hollywood” and steered the second was each surprising and surreal as it could have been had Tom Hanks accomplished the identical factor.

Kimmel additionally spent a big portion of his monologue Monday night time breaking down “The Slap,” which occurred simply throughout the road from his Hollywood Boulevard headquarters.

“It’s now a part of our lives eternally, we’ll by no means cease speaking about this,” Kimmel mentioned. “It was so surprising the one factor that I can actually examine it to is when Mike Tyson bit Evander Holyfield’s ears. Even Kanye was like, ‘You went on stage and did what at an awards present?’

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“And the weirdest half is that originally Will Smith laughed at that joke. However then he should’ve regarded over and observed that Jada was not amused and was like, ‘Uh-oh, I higher do one thing.’ And boy did he do one thing.”

Kimmel additionally recommended Rock, saying “he dealt with it about in addition to you possibly can presumably deal with being slapped on stage on the Oscars. He didn’t even flinch when Will slapped him,” Kimmel mentioned. “I might’ve been crying so exhausting.”

Kimmel is aware of a factor or two about surprising Oscars moments. He was host of the 2017 telecast when Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway mistakenly named La La Land, not precise winner Moonlight, Finest Image in 2017.

“I’m slightly bummed ‘trigger now I’ve solely hosted the second craziest Oscars of all time,” he mused.

4-time Oscars host and one-time winner Goldberg dissected the beautiful second together with her cohosts on The View on segments airing Monday and Tuesday.

“I believe it was a number of stuff most likely constructed up,” Goldberg mentioned, like Kimmel, noting Rock had beforehand taken a jab at Pinkett Smith on the 2016 Oscars. “I believe he had a type of moments the place it was similar to, ‘Simply cease.’ I get it, not everyone acts the best way we want them to below strain. Some individuals simply snap. He snapped.”

The co-hosts additionally questioned what sort of penalty Smith may face.

“We’re not going to take that Oscar from him,” mentioned Goldberg who just isn’t solely an Academy member but additionally sits on the Board of Governors. “There can be penalties, I’m certain, however I don’t assume that’s what they’ll do — significantly as a result of Chris mentioned, ‘Pay attention, I’m not urgent any expenses.’”

Then on Tuesday’s present, after Smith issued an apology on social media, Goldberg mentioned she accepted his mea culpa, “as a result of I understand how vital it’s to have individuals to say, ‘I hear you.’”