Saturday Night Live parodies Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at Oscars 2022

Saturday Night Live has come out with its own interpretation of the Will Smith and Chris Rock incident at Oscars 2022. While the skit didn’t focus on the slap, it showed Will Smith, played by Chris Redd, having a conversation with a seat-filler, portrayed by Jerrod Carmichael, during Rock’s speech. 

The chat between the two begins with the seat-filler expressing admiration for Smith’s works including the movie ‘The Pursuit of Happyness’, and the song ‘Gettin’ Jiggy Wit’. Charmichael’s character also asks Redd’s Smith for a selfie, to which he agrees. As the actor takes in the seat filler’s compliments, the latter prepares for the selfie. However, Redd’s Smith says he’ll be right back and walks off. A slap is heard and the seat filler’s face changes to one of horror. 

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Redd’s Smith returns to his seat, carrying on his conversation as if nothing’s happened. He speaks in between the now-famous line where Smith told Rock “Keep my wife’s name out of your f**king mouth”, at the 94th Academy Awards. However, Charmichael’s seat-filler seems unwilling to take the selfie, after the incident. 

Kyle Mooney joins as another seat filler, as he and Charmichael’s character grow increasingly disturbed as Redd’s Smith continues conversing with them and even tries out a line from his Best Actor Oscar acceptance speech for the ‘King Richard‘ role, saying “Richard Williams was a fierce protector of his family.” 

The Best Actor awardee also asks if there’s anything else he should add to the speech, to which Mooney chips in “Love makes you do crazy things”. Redd’s Smith goes on to speak about the last couple of years, saying they “have been crazy with Covid, Zoom meetings, Red Table Talk”, referring to his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith’s talk show where she admitted to having an affair with R&B singer, August Alsina. 

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Soon after, ‘Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It’ begins playing, and Redd’s Smith recreates Will Smith’s steps from the Oscars after-party. The SNL actor also asserts “Everything’s normal y’all!” 

Smith went on stage and slapped Rock for making a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s hair. Rock insinuated Pinkett Smith could be in the next ‘GI Jane’ movie due to her cropped hair, but Smith took offence since the ‘Gotham’ actor has always been open about her struggles with alopecia, a condition resulting in severe hair loss.