James Cordenis sharing his take on the most viral moment from the 2022Academy Awards.
While hostingThe Late Late Show with James CordenMonday, Corden, 43, shouted outChris Rockfor keeping his cool whenWill Smithslapped him across the face onstage after the 57-year-old comedianmade a jokeabout his wifeJada Pinkett Smith.
Joking about what went down, Corden began, “I mean, the whole incident threw me off in a huge way, also completely ruined my chances in the Oscar pool. I had DameJudi DenchsmackingWoody Harrelson.”
Cutting the comedy, he continued, “Seriously though, I applaud Chris Rock for recovering, keeping the show moving. It was an incredibly dignified response.
“I’ll say this,Will Smithcan’t take a joke, Chris Rock can take a punch,” theCarpool Karaokehost said. “A steel jaw. Unbelievable!”
The Late Late Show with James Corden/Youtube
In ascripted segmenton the late-night show, Corden met with his producers to map out what Monday’s episode would look like. During the spot, the host disagreed with his team on how they’d recapthe OscarsandSmith smacking Rock.
“We don’t talk about Jada, no, no, no,” he sang, parodying the tune “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” fromLin-Manuel Miranda’sEncanto(which won for Best Animated Film) with a crew of dancers behind him.
Touching on other can’t-miss moments from the94th Academy Awards — fromBeyoncé’s epicperformancetoTimothée Chalametshowing some skin — the comedian joked that “nothing could ever kill this vibe” but now, “We don’t talk about Jada, no, no, no.”
Smith has sincepublicly apologizedto Rock for the altercation on stage Sunday evening. TheKing Richardstar wrote a lengthy statement onInstagramMonday, admitting that he was wrong for striking out at Rock while he introduced Best Documentary.
“Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive. My behavior at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable. Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada’s medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally,” Smith began.
“I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be,” he continued, which was the first time the Oscar winner directly apologized to the man he hit. “There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness.”
Rock has not yet spoken out since the incident. Hedeclined to press charges, and reps for the comedian have not responded to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Inan initial statementafter the show, the Academy said it “does not condone violence of any form.” They’ve since announced the start ofa formal reviewaround the incident and “will explore further action and consequences in accordance with our Bylaws, Standards of Conduct and California law.”
source: people.com
