Oscar Producer Says Chris Rock ‘Saved’ Event By His Response To Will Smith’s Slap

Oscar Awards producer Will Packer said on Friday that Chris Rock’s reaction to being slapped by actor Will Smith “saved” the event, allowing the production to continue through his “grace.”

Packer shared the remarks on Friday’s episode of ABC’s “Good Morning America.”

Rock “handled the moment with such grace and aplomb,” Packer noted, giving the program an opportunity to continue rather than reacting in a manner that would have escalated the situation.

“It allowed the show to continue and if he had handled that differently in that moment — which it could have gone so many different ways — and because Chris continued the way that he did, he completed the category … It gave us license in a way to continue the show, which is what we were trying to do,” Packer added.

Packer added in the interview that Rock “certainly saved what was left of it at that point.”

The producer also noted that Smith helped by seeming to apologize during his speech, though he did not directly mention Rock in his response.

The next day, Smith posted a written apology on Instagram.

“Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive. My behavior at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable. Jokes at my expense are part of the job, but a joke about Jada’s medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally.”

Smith added that his action were “out of line” and “wrong.”

“I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness,” he added.

The Daily Wire previously reported that police officers were prepared to arrest Smith if necessary:

According to Oscars producer Will Packer, the Los Angeles Police Department wanted to arrest actor Will Smith for battery after he struck comedian Chris Rock during the Sunday night awards show.

Packer told ABC’s T.J. Holmes in an interview scheduled to air on Friday’s broadcast of “Good Morning America” that police were on the scene and prepared to arrest Smith, but Rock made it clear that he was not interested in taking any legal action.

A short clip of the upcoming interview aired on Thursday evening’s broadcast of “World News Tonight.”

“[Police] were saying, you know, this is battery, was a word they used in that moment. They said, ‘We will go get [Smith], we are prepared. We’re prepared to get him right now. You can press charges, we can arrest him,’” Packer described the scene that unfolded after the incident.

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