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Comedian Wanda Sykes has spoken out against Will Smith's infamous slap of Chris Rock at the 94th Academy Awards, as well as against the Academy itself for its response to the incident.
In an interview on Ellen, Sykes recounted her time co-hosting the event with fellow comedians Regina Hall and Amy Schumer. However, she had harsh words to say about the fact that Smith was allowed to stay at the ceremony after slapping Rock across the face for saying a joke about Smith's wife, actress Jada Pinkett-Smith.
"For them to let him stay in that room and enjoy the rest of that show and accept his award," Sykes told host Ellen Degeneres, "I was like, 'How gross is this?' This is just the wrong message. You assault somebody, you get escorted out the building, and that's it, but for them to let him continue, I thought it was gross."
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has officially condemned Smith's actions at the ceremony, after previously condemning "violence in any form." An investigation into the incident has begun, according to Academy President David Rubin and Academy CEO Dawn Hudson.
"The Academy's Board of Governors will now make a determination on appropriate action for Mr. Smith," the duo wrote. "As governed by California law regarding members of nonprofit organizations like the Academy, and set forth in our Standards of Conduct, this must follow an official process that will take a few weeks."
According to Sykes, she was passing by a backstage monitor when Smith confronted Rock. She said that the room backstage went silent before she asked what had happened.
"Then, Will just starts cursing, you know, from his seat," said Sykes, "and I was just like, 'Is this really happening?' And then, someone showed me the video like, 'Yeah, he smacked Chris.'"
Sykes also showed support for Rock during the Ellen interview, referring to him as her friend and calling the slap "sickening." The incident occurred after Rock compared Pinkett-Smith to the main character of G.I. Jane, who was played by Demi Moore with a bald held. While not directly addressing it, Smith attributed the joke to his wife's alopecia, which causes balding patches.
It is unclear why exactly Smith was allowed to stay inside the Dolby Theatre on Sunday after the incident. Later that night, he won the Best Actor award. During his acceptance speech, he apologized to the Academy for his earlier behavior, and he later issued an apology to Rock on Instagram.
"I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris," wrote Smith. "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. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness."
Update at 3/30/22, 2:26 p.m. ET: This story has been updated with additional information.
