Wanda Sykes Says Her 2022 Oscars Hosting Gig Was “Overshadowed” by Will Smith’s Slap: “It’s Like I Was Watching From Home”
Wanda Sykes is reflecting on her experience hosting the 2022 Oscars — the same year Will Smith slapped Chris Rock live on stage — and says the infamous moment completely “overshadowed” what should have been a career highlight.
In a new interview w/ Variety, the comedian admitted that when people bring up that night, they rarely remember she was one of the evening’s hosts.
“It got overshadowed,” Sykes said. “People talk to me about that night without even mentioning, ‘Oh yeah, you hosted, right?’ Like I was in the audience or at home, watching TV. But I was there.”
Sykes, who co-hosted alongside Regina Hall and Amy Schumer, said that despite the chaos, Will Smith did reach out to her following his public apology to Chris Rock. However, she explained their conversation didn’t go far because she wasn’t feeling well.
“He reached out,” she shared, adding that she had “a bad cold” at the time and only replied via text.
The 2022 Oscars made global headlines when Smith walked onstage and slapped Rock after the comedian made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith. Smith later won Best Actor that same night for King Richard and has since apologized multiple times.
Sykes, known for her sharp wit and decades-long comedy career, has previously said the incident left her “traumatized” — and now, she’s making it clear that the night she should’ve been celebrated as a host still feels like it wasn’t fully hers.