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| NY Post composite graphic |
Actor Will Smith’s now-infamous slapping of comedian Chris Rock during last weekend’s Oscars broadcast prompted outrage from some viewers — several dozen of whom filed formal complaints with a federal watchdog.
The FCC received at least 66 formal complaints from disgruntled viewers over the slap heard ‘round the world, reports The NY Post.
Smith rushed the stage to slap Rock and continued to hurl profanities after the comedian made a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s hair.
The complaints condemned Smith for getting violent and using foul language — with some calling for both the actor and Academy Awards broadcaster ABC to face penalties over the incident.
“During the broadcast of the Oscars on 3/27/2022, Will Smith went on stage and smacked Chris Rock with an open fist. It is devastating to watch something so violent and unexpected during a show,” a viewer in Corpus Christi, Texas, said.
“I watch the Oscars with my family, it seems one of the few event shows we can all watch together. It’s a special night for my children and we celebrate it with a late night viewing. My five-year-old daughter cried when he slapped Chris Rock, and started shaking when Will Smith foully cursed,” a viewer in Hamden, Connecticut, wrote.
“ABC failed to post warnings prior to this year’s Academy Awards which aired on 3/27/22. Not only did the show contain a violent assault on air but it also failed to censor the vulgar rant afterwards that explicitly contained the four-letter ‘F’ word,” another viewer from Boeme, Texas, griped in a message to the watchdog agency.
It’s unclear if the FCC will take action over the incident. Smith’s slap aired live during ABC’s broadcast, but the profanity-laced audio was censored thanks to a 20-second tape delay.
Unedited versions of the incident quickly spread on social media, and closed captioning on ABC’s broadcast showed that Smith yelled, “Keep my wife’s name out of your f–king mouth” after returning to his seat.
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