Jimmy Kimmel pulled no punches when referencing Will Smith's infamous Oscar slap at this year's awards.
On Sunday (March 12), Kimmel, host of the 2023 Oscars, delivered an opening monologue where he shaded Smith and the Academy's response to last year's slap.
"We want you to have fun, feel safe, and most importantly we want me to feel safe, so we have strict policies put in place," Kimmel said at the start of the show. "If anyone in this theater 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."
"No, but seriously the Academy has a crisis team in place," he continued. "If anything unpredictable or violent happens during the ceremony, just do what you did last year. Nothing. Sit there and do absolutely nothing. Maybe even give the assailant a hug."
The apparent reference to Smith walking onstage and slapping Chris Rock drew laughs from the movie's biggest stars at Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.
The infamous incident went down last March at the 94th Academy Awards after Rock joked about Smith's wife Jada Pinkett Smith's hair while presenting the award for Best Documentary. After slapping Rock, the King Richard star won the Academy Award for Best Actor.
Earlier in his monologue, Kimmel hinted at the slap when joking about the increased diversity among the 2023 Oscar nominees.
“Five Irish actors are nominated tonight, which means the odds of another fight on stage just went way up,” he said.
The 95th Academy Awards concluded with Kimmel marking the show as the first Oscars telecast without "incident."
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