2023 Oscars producer is willing to look back at Will Smith's viral slap incident on Sunday's event, in a comedic way and move on.
Last year at the 94th Academy Awards, The Pursuit of Happyness star went up to the stage and slapped presenter Chris Rock after he made a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett-Smith's shaved head, which was due to her alopecia diagnosis.
Later that evening, Smith also received an award for Best Actor, and used his speech to apologize to the Academy and other nominees for the unexpected and extreme reaction.
On the next day, Smith apologized to the comedian again publicly via social media.
During a recent press conference, Oscars executive producer Molly McNearney said that this year's awards will reflect back on the slap jokingly, but the show won't be all about the incident.
However, as Smith have resigned from the Academy after the slap, it would be impossible to completely ignore the infamous incident in this year's presentation.
"We’re going to acknowledge it, and then we’re gonna move on. We don’t want to make this year about last year. It’s certainly something we can and will address in a comedic fashion" McNearney said.