Oscars 2022 host Wanda Sykes 'traumatized' by Will Smith slapping Chris Rock

Wanda Sykes at the Oscars 2022. Picture/AFP

Wanda Sykes, who hosted the Oscars 2022 ceremony alongside Amy Schumer and Regina Hall, recently opened up about Will Smith and Chris Rock's altercation, saying that she was left "traumatized" by what transpired at the award show.

As per Page Six, the actor-comedian spoke about the infamous incident on Wednesday's episode of 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show' and said that she "physically felt ill" upon watching Smith slap Rock onstage, and is "still a little traumatized by it".

"And for them to let [Will] stay in that room and enjoy the rest of the show and accept his award, I was like, 'How gross is this?' This sends the wrong message," added Sykes. Smith struck Rock onstage at the Dolby Theatre on Sunday over a joke about Smith's wife Jada Pinkett Smith. Rock declined to press charges.

"If 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," Sykes told Ellen DeGeneres of the incident.

Smith went on to win the Oscar for Best Actor and took the stage to accept the award with an emotional speech. Sykes also shared how the incident played out from her perspective as a host, telling DeGeneres that she "felt so awful for my friend Chris" when she found out about it while backstage.

"I saw Chris at [Guy Oseary's afterparty] and as soon as I walked up to him, the first thing he said is, 'I'm so sorry.' I was like, 'Why are you apologizing?' " said Sykes. "He was like, 'It was supposed to be your night. You and Amy and Regina were doing such a great job. I'm so sorry this is now gonna be about this.' "

"Because that's who Chris is," she added.

Sykes also said that she feels she and her co-hosts deserve an apology, "This is our house, we're inviting you in, we're hosts, we're gonna take care of y'all tonight and make sure you have a good time. And no one has apologized to us. We worked really hard to put that show together, so just the industry itself, I'm like, 'What the hell is this?'"

In a statement to People magazine on Monday night, Sykes said, "Violence is never the answer."

Smith publicly apologised to Rock in a statement on Instagram, admitting he "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."

The incident occurred after Rock said, in part, while presenting the award for Best Documentary, "Jada, I love ya. G.I. Jane 2, can't wait to see ya."

Jada recently opened up about her bald head, revealing it was a result of living with alopecia for years. 'The Girls Trip' actor was visibly unamused by the joke.

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