The comedian compared being backstage at the Oscars to the Situation Room at the White House.
Amy Schumer is giving more insight into the tense moments that followed Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars. The 40-year-old comedian was one of the three female co-hosts of the awards show, and was asked while on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen for her thoughts on Smith receiving a standing ovation for his Best Actor Oscar win just minutes after the shocking slap occurred.
"I was backstage, and I knew I had to go out. I was kind of the only host that was going out solo after that, so it really felt like the Situation Room of comedy," she shared. "We were all watching the monitor, and then he won, like, everybody, we were just kind of floored. And I was just thinking about, 'What am I going to do when I go out there?'"
Schumer previously posted on Instagram about the slap, writing, "Still triggered and traumatized. I love my friend @chrisrock and believe he handled it like a pro. Stayed up there and gave an Oscar to his friend @questlove and the whole thing was so disturbing. So much pain in @willsmith anyway I’m still in shock and stunned and sad."
Her co-host, Wanda Sykes, called out Smith and The Academy for not doing more or offering the co-hosts an apology after the unprecedented moment.
"I just felt so awful for my friend, Chris, and it was sickening, absolutely,” Sykes told Ellen DeGeneres last week. "I physically felt ill, and I’m still a little traumatized by it. And for them to let him stay in that room and enjoy the rest of the show and accept his award, I was just like, ‘How gross is this?’ It just sends the wrong message. You assault somebody, you get escorted out of the building, that’s it.”
During her WWHL appearance, Schumer also shared one of her favorite moments from the Oscars, which was when Lady Gaga assisted Liza Minnelli on stage, saying, "I got you."
"That was one of my favorite moments and just seeing them together backstage. I love how Lady Gaga is so there for people who are a little older than us... she really was gentle and patient," Schumer said of the pop star.
Since the Oscars, Smith has resigned from the Academy and still faces a formal review. The Academy noted that they have "initiated disciplinary proceedings... which may include suspension, expulsion, or other sanctions permitted by the Bylaws and Standards of Conduct."
In a statement to ET, David Rubin, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President, said, "We have received and accepted Mr. Will Smith's immediate resignation from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. We will continue to move forward with our disciplinary proceedings against Mr. Smith for violations of the Academy’s Standards of Conduct, in advance of our next scheduled board meeting on April 18."
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