Oscars co-host Amy Schumer says she's 'triggered and traumatized' by Will Smith's slap
The last hour of the Academy Awards was a trainwreck, and Amy Schumer is still reeling.
Schumer, who co-hosted the 2022 Oscars, spoke out Wednesday about the show being derailed by Will Smith slapping Chris Rock over a joke about his wife.
"Still triggered and traumatized," Schumer wrote on Instagram. "I love my friend @chrisrock and believe he handled it like a pro."
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Smith went up on stage and slapped Rock after the comedian joked about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, having a shaved head. The King Richard star later said "a joke about Jada's medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally," as she has been open about struggling with alopecia.
Schumer praised Rock for staying up on stage to hand out an Oscar after being slapped, but she described the situation as "so disturbing."
"So much pain in @willsmith anyway I'm still in shock and stunned and sad," Schumer said. "Im proud of myself and my cohosts. But yeah. Waiting for this sickening feeling to go away from what we all witnessed."
Schumer hosted the Oscars with Regina Hall and Wanda Sykes. None of the hosts directly addressed the incident during the show, though Schumer at one point alluded to it, jokingly asking after a bit where she dressed up as Spider-Man, "I've been getting out of that Spider-Man costume, did I miss anything? There's like a different vibe in here."
Smith has since apologized for his "unacceptable and inexcusable" behavior, saying in a statement, "I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be." He has drawn condemnation throughout Hollywood and particularly from comedians, who expressed support for Rock.
"It's a very bad practice to walk up on stage and physically assault a comedian," Kathy Griffin tweeted. "Now we all have to worry about who wants to be the next Will Smith in comedy clubs and theaters."
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