Will Smith and Regina Hall turned the Oscars into a slap in the face in a night of cringe

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Will Smith slapping Chris Rock was not the only Oscar moment that made Sunday the night of cringe. Why are we not talking about the low skit that came at the beginning of the Academy Awards? 

Co-host Regina Hall summoned Timothée Chalamet, Bradley Cooper, Simu Liu and Tyler Perry to go backstage with her for a COVID-19 test with her “tongue,” then frisked presenters Josh Brolin and Jason Momoa before exiting.

Hello?! 

That was really the first point Sunday night when I asked myself whether my eyes were deceiving me. Both Hall and Smith tripped up an otherwise smooth Oscars. What were they thinking? Apparently they weren't.

NPR's Scott Simon was on point in tweeting about the slap: "Context is content. If it had happened on a @SouthwestAir flight, the assailant would be locked up. But in Hollywood, a few minutes later he’s handed an Oscar. There are complications. But it reminds me why lofty film folk speeches on Oscar night are often hard to take."

Remember #MeToo?

Of course, "film folk speeches on Oscar night" have brought attention to important controversies, buried suffering and marginalized communities. That's why it was so hard for me to watch Hall's skit.

If she were a he, would everyone in Hollywood's Dolby Theater just sit there and titter at the sight of a man summoning beautiful women and saying, "I don't want any of you all to worry. You know it's gonna be a typical, quick COVID test. You'll come backstage, take your mask off ... and your clothes. And then I'm gonna swab ... the back of your mouth, with my tongue"?

What happened to #MeToo? 

How many writers helped Hall shape that skit? Nobody in charge of the Oscars saw the double standards in it? Apparently, not even the six men playing along.

FORMER U.S. SURGEON GENERAL: As a Black man, I hate to see what happened with Will Smith and Chris Rock

Actor and director David Oyelowo told Paste BN he had mixed feelings about the bit. "I did find myself feeling some kind of way about Josh Brolin and Jason Momoa being fondled," he said. "It's funny, but if you reverse the gender roles there, are we OK?"

"I think we got to keep on getting better," Oyelowo said. "But it was funny."

At least that skit was written. Smith slapped Rock after the presenter made a joke about a possible "G.I. Jane" sequel directed at Jada Pinkett Smith's bald head.

'Wow, dude. It was a "G.I. Jane" joke'

Here's the thing: Smith laughed at first, while his wife – who has talked about her struggle with hair loss from alopecia – rolled her eyes at Rock and then threw a sharp side-eye. The camera's back on Rock beginning his speech, but next thing you know Smith's on stage defending his wife's honor. 

DEALING WITH ALOPECIA: Jada Pinkett Smith, Chris Rock and why his hair joke was so problematic

"Will Smith just slapped the (expletive) out of me," Rock deadpanned to the audience. 

"Keep my wife's name out your (expletive) mouth," Smith shouted.

"Wow, dude. It was a 'G.I. Jane' joke," Rock replied. Smith repeated what he said.

In his acceptance speech for best actor, playing Venus and Serena Williams' father in "King Richard," Smith said through tears: "I want to apologize to the Academy, I want to apologize to my fellow nominees. … Art imitates life. I look like the crazy father, just like they said about Richard Williams. But love will make you do crazy things. I hope the academy invites me back. Thank you."

Rock declined to file a police report Sunday, but the Academy says it will investigate. On Monday, Smith apologized.

"Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive," the Oscar winner wrote on Instagram. "My behavior at (the) Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable."

Maybe the Smiths can blame Regina Hall's skit for irking them in the first place. When she was calling out names of single men to come backstage to get "tested," Hall included Will Smith: "You're married, but you know what, you're on the list and it looks like Jada approved you, so you get on up here."

Everybody laughed at this joke over the Smiths' past marriage troubles and open relationship rumors – including the Smiths.

But then came Rock's joke, piling on top of Hall's earlier dig.

It's a shame. My family was having a good time watching the Oscars. What a relief to have a normal awards show again amid COVID-19 and threats of coming variants. All the performers were doing what they do best: Entertaining viewers at home. They helped us forget the pandemic for a night. What should have been a crowning evening for Will Smith – and a celebration of the movies – turned into a literal slap in the face.

Congratulations to all the Oscar winners. For all your hard work and sacrifice, you won something extra Sunday night. 

Thuan Le Elston, a member of Paste BN's Editorial Board, is the author of "Rendezvous at the Altar: From Vietnam to Virginia." Follow her on Twitter: @thuanelston