Sure, the 2022 NCAA Tournament is down to the Final Four. And what a quartet it is with Villanova, Kansas, North Carolina, and Duke deciding the national championship in New Orleans. Normally, that would surely be the sports radio topic of the day.
But not after the 2022 Academy Awards, which provided a moment that dominated social media Sunday night. Will Smith walking up to the stage to slap presenter Chris Rock, after the comedian made fun of the actor’s wife will be referenced in video clips, memes, and best Oscars moments for quite possibly the rest of our lifetimes.
Every TV morning news show and radio show — sports or otherwise — covered the story on Monday. What else was there to talk about, really? And if the job is to react and give opinions on a subject, well, Smith slapping Rock is exactly the kind of story for that.
Monday morning’s Boomer & Gio on WFAN was no exception. The two already cover sports and culture, along with personal stories and behind-the-scenes happenings in the studio, as any good morning show should. So naturally, the Smith-Rock incident came up.
Beyond recapping the slap itself and the moments that led up to it, Gregg Giannotti broke down where the incident could have gone afterwards. As he points out, Rock initially seemed as if he wanted to retaliate with more jokes at Smith’s expense. And there’s a lot of material to mine, especially in regards to Smith’s open marriage with Jada Pinkett Smith.
Rock also briefly looked backstage at producers, presumably wondering if the show was going to continue or go to a commercial break. When it became apparent that the show would go on, Rock maintained his composure (though was briefly flustered, as anyone likely would be) to present the award for Best Documentary Feature.
And the show did indeed go on. As Boomer Esiason pointed out, that included Smith winning the Best Actor award for his performance in King Richard, leading to a bizarre speech in which the star talked about protecting family. Then he apologized to the Academy and those in attendance, but not to Rock.
Giannotti wrapped up the segment by saying he thought that “the Oscars are now back.” Is Hollywood’s self-congratulatory night a must-see event again?
If not for The Slap, most of the talk about the Oscars would have been about what a terrible, disjointed show it was, with features and performances filling up space instead of awards being presented. Not to mention that nearly all of the 10 Best Picture nominees — including the eventual winner CODA — were films that a majority of people didn’t see, whether because they weren’t popular in mainstream culture or because audiences still haven’t fully embraced going back to theaters.
Certainly, bringing an “anything can happen” anticipation and suspense to the proceedings could lead to more people paying attention. But people tuning in to see somebody else rush the stage or another incident of violence can’t be what the Academy or ABC wants.
