Chris Rock’s controversial joke about Jada Pinkett Smith reportedly wasn’t in the original script, an ABC producer has said.
The stand-up comedian was smacked in the face by Will Smith during a shocking and tense exchange at the Oscars 2022, after making a joke about Jada’s hair despite her having hair loss condition alopecia.
However, ABC producer Rob Mills has since told Variety that the gag was actually an ad-lib and not part of the script.
Mills watched from the control room on the night and recalled the controversial moment, telling the publication: ‘You started to realise this is real once Chris, who certainly knows the limits of broadcast standards, said, “Will Smith slapped the s**t out of me”. That’s when it became obvious that this was not a joke.’
The Academy has faced criticism for not removing Smith from the ceremony after the incident; he went on to win best actor for his role in King Richard a short while later.
Defending the producers’ decision, Mills explained: ‘You have to remember that you’re putting a live show on. Had this been something that was being pre-taped, we would have stopped down. Things would have been addressed. We would have seen what to do next.
‘But here, you have to remember you’ve got a show to do. Obviously, this was something that was unfortunate, but it was not to a degree that you think, “Okay, we need to just stop the entire show”. And the show just kind of went on.’
On Monday, The Academy announced it has launched a formal investigation into the incident.
Rock has not spoken out since the incident but is said to have attended an Oscars after-party.
A source close to the comic told TMZ that Rock always intended to leave the awards show after his presenting segment, and that he did not know Jada had alopecia.
They also claimed Rock and Smith have not spoken after Diddy ‘confirmed’ the two had made amends.
However, an insider in Diddy’s camp said the hip hop mogul did not say they had directly spoken, but that he communicated with them separately.
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