Oscar Audience Jumps After Will Smith Slapped Chris Rock


Oscar audience swelled by more than half a million people shortly after Will Smith slapped Chris Rock on Sunday, closing the awards ceremony with a late night spike.

at 22:27, Mr. Smith attacked Mr. Rock After the comedian made a joke on stage about Mr. Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. According to Nielsen data published by ABC, approximately 17.4 million viewers watched in the minutes after the slap, up from 16.8 million shortly before the slap.

Presenting the award, Mr. Rock punched the short-cropped hair of Ms. Pinkett Smith, who has alopecia causing hair loss. Mr. Smith took the stage, hit Mr. Rock, and then returned to his seat and loudly, using profanity, asked the comedian to refrain from talking about Ms. Pinkett Smith. Mr. Smith’s words and Mr. Rock’s responses were muted during the broadcast, with many viewers struggling to understand what was happening and speculating whether it was the script. (He wasn’t.)

By that time, audience numbers were dwindling. The biggest audience as measured by Nielsen came early in the night when nearly 17.7 million people watched Troy Kotsur, the first deaf man to win an acting Oscar. a heartfelt acceptance speech For his supporting role in “CODA”.

Audience numbers plummeted after the attack, but rose again as Mr Smith, then the most favored contender in the best actor race, returned to the stage to claim the award for his role in “King Richard.” According to Nielsen data, approximately 17.4 million people watched his speech.

On Monday, Mr. Smith apologized for his actions. Earlier that day, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said it was conducting an official investigation of the incident.

Overall, the Oscars were watched by 16.6 million people, of whom approximately 4.9 million were between the ages of 18 and 49, according to Nielsen. Attendance was 58 percent higher than the all-time low of 10.4 million who watched last year, but it was still the second smallest viewership on record. ABC said the Oscars generated 22.7 million interactions on social media, a 139 percent increase over last year’s broadcast.



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