Jimmy Kimmel is ready to host the 2023 Oscar ceremony this weekend. And after last year’s drama with Chris Rock and Will Smith, he’s prepared for anything, especially on on-stage assault.
The late-night host and comedian talked to The Hollywood Reporter this week to share his excitement for the big night. He also commented on the Academy’s new “crisis committee,” which was formed to stop any future Smith-like debacles.
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Kimmel admitted that he doesn’t know anything about the committee or how it will function in an emergency. Though, he wishes he did so he knew what to “fear.”
The group has apparently worked through several different possible scenarios as they gear up for the ceremony, and Kimmel can’t speak on any of them. But he assumes “it mostly has to do with UFOs.”
While Jimmy Kimmel doesn’t think the organizers are too worried about someone targeting him, he did share that he has a plan should any angry actors storm the stage looking for a fight.
“Well, I size them up, and, if I’m bigger than they are, I beat the sh** out of them on television,” he shared. “And if it’s the Rock, I run.”
The Oscars ‘Crisis Team’ is Not Anticipating a Repeat of Last Year’s Drama
The joke, of course, comes from last year’s ceremony that saw Will Smith walk on stage and slap Chris Rock. Shortly before it happened, Rock had made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head.
“Jada, I love you. GI Jane 2, can’t wait to see you,” he said during a monologue.
Pinkett Smith, Will Smith’s wife, battles alopecia, which is an immune disorder that causes hair loss. So the comment enraged the Fresh Prince star. Rock allegedly did not know how Pinkett Smith’s health condition.
The Oscar’s slap has been a major topic of discussion and scandal over the past year. To stave off any further bad press, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences put together the special committee.
“We have a whole crisis team, something we’ve never had before, and many plans in place,” CEO Bill Kramer told Time Magazine. “We’ve run many scenarios. So it is our hope that we will be prepared for anything that we may not anticipate right now but that we’re planning for just in case it does happen.”