Jimmy Kimmel, who hosted the 95th Academy Awards, began the ceremony roasting Will Smith and recalled last year’s infamous slap. As Jimmy mentioned, he started the event by joking about what would happen if anyone threatened physical violence during the award show telecast.
An Obvious Will Smith Reference
Here’s the portion of Jimmy Kimmel’s opening monologue where he referenced Will Smith's slap from last year's show! 😂#Oscars pic.twitter.com/2ksrwAnRJa
— Screen Off Script (@ScreenOffScript) March 13, 2023
The 95th Academy awards kickstarted at the Dolby Theatre in LA on Sunday (March 12), and the host, Jimmy Kimmel couldn’t hold back from referencing the infamous Will Smith scandal. As he had hinted before, he started the event by joking about what would happen if anyone threatened physical violence during the award show telecast.
During the brutal opening monologue, Jimmy said, “Five Irish actors are nominated tonight, which means the chances of a fight just went way up. We want you to have fun, and feel safe and, most importantly, we want me to feel safe.”
Kimmel stated that they have strict policies in place this time. “If anyone in this theatre commits an act of violence at any point during the show, you will be awarded the Oscar for best actor and permitted to give a 19-minute long speech” he added. “But seriously, the academy has a crisis team in place. If anything unpredictable or violent happens during the show, sit there and do absolutely nothing. Maybe even give the assailant a hug,” he said further.
Jimmy Calls Out His Protectors…
Jimmy called out some people who would be able to offer him protection. He even named some fictional characters like the Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal), Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) and Spiderman (Andrew Garfield). ”And if any of you get mad at a joke and decide you want to get jiggy with it — it’s not going to be easy,” Jimmy continued.
He concluded in his monologue, “You’re going to have to get through the heavyweight champ, Adonis Creed, you’re going to have to deal with Michelle Yeoh … you’re going to have to tangle with Spider-Man, you’re going to have to tangle with Fabelman, and then you’re going to have to go through my right-hand man Guillermo.”
Jimmy was referencing Will Smith’s Oscar scandal from last year wherein he strode on the stage and brutally slapped Chris Rock for cracking a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith’s bald head. As a result, Smith was banned from attending the ceremony for the next 10 years. Since then, Will Smith has maintained a relatively low profile and has focussed more on his mental health.
