GUILTY CONSCIENCE? Chris Rock may host Oscars 2023 after show’s impressive 'slap' rating
Chris Rock getting slapped by Will Smith during Oscars 2022 became one of the biggest controversial topics and it seems to have opened new doors of opportunities for the legendary comedian. The ‘Grown Ups’ actor might end up hosting the next edition of the Oscars and ABC Network’s President of Entertainment Craig Erich feels the next year’s award show will be “even better.”
Speaking in an interview with Deadline, Erich spilled the beans on the possibility of Chris Rock hosting the 2023 edition of the Academy Awards. He felt that the slap gate might have overshadowed a lot of positive things but he was really happy with the program. For the unversed, Chris Rock earlier hosted the Oscars in 2005 and then in 2016.
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‘It was the biggest bounce back of any award show’
In an interaction with Deadline, Craig Erich asserted that he was content with the show’s rating but next year will see an increase in viewership. if Chris Rock lands as a host. Speaking on this year’s Oscars, he stated, “My assessment of the Oscars was that it was really a successful year for the show. Obviously, there was a lot of controversy, which overshadowed a lot of the positive things about the show, but I was really happy with the program” adding, “Even before that very unfortunate moment, the show started off up year over year, and we came back in a big way.”
Craig Erich further shared, “It was the biggest bounce back of any award show this season. If you look at what they were trying to do, which is really bring entertainment back to the program, they had three amazing hosts, clips, and incredible musical performances, I thought it was a great way for the show to reclaim its place on the mantle” concluding, “There’s always things to learn and we’ll endeavor to do even better next year.”
Will Smith had slapped Chris Rock after the latter cracked a joke on actor’s wife Jada Pinkett-Smith‘s balding. The comedian quipped, “Jada, can’t wait for G.I. Jane 2!” which irked Will Smith. The agitated actor walked onto the stage and slapped the comedian and asked to keep his wife’s name out of his mouth after coming back to his seat. Will Smith had apologized later for his actions after he won the Best Actor Oscar for ‘King Richard’ but he still got banned from the Academy for 10 years. If we shed light on this year’s broadcast, it was 58% up with an average of 16.6 million viewers tuning in as compared to 9.8 million in 2021.