Academy Awards co-hosts Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes said on Wednesday (March 30) they were sickened by best actor winner Will Smith's slap of presenter Chris Rock at Sunday night's ceremony.
During the live Oscars telecast, Smith strode up to the stage after Rock made a joke about the appearance of Smith's wife, then smacked the comedian's face.
The actor then returned to his seat and twice yelled an obscenity at Rock. Rock regained his composure and announced the winner of best documentary, Questlove's "Summer of Soul."
"Still triggered and traumatised," Schumer said in a post on Instagram three days later. "I love my friend @chrisrock and believe he handled it like a pro. Stayed up there and gave an Oscar to his friend @questlove and the whole thing was so disturbing.
"So much pain in @willsmith anyway I’m still in shock and stunned and sad," she added.
"Waiting for this sickening feeling to go away from what we all witnessed," she said. Sykes also said the incident was "sickening" and that she felt physically ill at the time.
"I'm still a little traumatised," Sykes said in clips released on Wednesday from an interview on the Ellen DeGeneres talk show.
Less than an hour after his attack on Rock, Smith won best actor for his role as the father of tennis legends Venus and Serena Williams in King Richard.
He gave a tear-filled acceptance speech in which he apologised to the academy and his fellow nominees – but not Rock.
Sykes said she felt Smith should have been escorted out and not permitted to accept his award.
"For them to let him stay in that room and enjoy the rest of the show and accept his award, I was like how gross is this? This is just the wrong message," she said.
The clash with Rock overshadowed the night's awards, in which heartwarming movie Coda won best picture.
Schumer and Sykes co-hosted the ceremony with Regina Hall.
Smith apologised to Rock and others in a statement on Monday, saying he "reacted emotionally" to the joke about his wife, actor and talk show host Jada Pinkett Smith.
Rock had referenced the 1997 film G.I. Jane in which actress Demi Moore shaved her head.
It was unclear whether Rock was aware that Pinkett Smith has a disease that causes hair loss.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences condemned Smith's behaviour and is weighing whether to take action against him.
If the group concludes Smith violated its conduct policy, it could expel him from the organisation, revoke his Oscar or make him ineligible for future awards.
In other recent cases, such as that of disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein, the academy revoked his membership but stopped short of taking away his Oscars. – Reuters
Already a subscriber? Log in
Get 20% OFF The Star Digital Access
Cancel anytime. Ad-free. Unlimited access with perks.
