Oscar Producer Cut “Harder” Will Smith Jokes: “That Should Be Chris Rock, Not Us”

Jimmy Kimmel didn’t go light with the Will Smith jokes at this year’s Oscars; however, the executive producer of the event revealed that “harder” jokes were cut from the final script. 

Kimmel was given the monumental task of hosting the March 12 ceremony following last year’s buzzy events, which included Smith storming the stage to slap Chris Rock after he made a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. 

Rock has since opened up about the experience, releasing a fiery comedy special which included more jokes at the couple’s expense. Oscar producer Molly McNearney (who is also Kimmel’s wife) supported this endeavor, stating that the show didn’t include more jokes about the occurrence because they didn’t want to control the narrative.

In an interview with Variety, McNearney said, “We didn’t want to make this year all about last year. I cannot tell you how many Will Smith jokes we had that then we got rid of. We think that only the best for that room made it.”

She continued, “There were certainly some that went harder, but we didn’t think that was our place to do that. That should be Chris Rock, not us.”

Though, those drawbacks didn’t keep Kimmel from referencing the incident entirely. “We really liked the idea of making fun of the reaction to it last year,” the producer told Variety. “I think we’re all still in a bit of shock of how that went down and how after watching that violence everyone had to then sit through an acceptance speech.”

Kimmel kicked off the ceremony with an opening monologue that took shots at Smith. The comedian joked that the Academy had a crisis team in place to avoid another altercation on stage.

“We know this is a special night for you. We want you to have fun. We want you to feel safe. And most importantly, we want me to feel safe. If anyone in this theater commits an act of violence at any point during the show, you will be awarded the Oscar for Best Actor and permitted to give a nineteen-minute-long speech,” Kimmel said Sunday, referencing Smith’s win later in the 2022 ceremony.

Kimmel mentioned the controversy again towards the middle of the awards show, saying, “This point in the show kinda makes you miss the slapping a little bit.”

Last week, it was reported that Smith has moved on from the event and thinks Rock needs to as well. A source claimed that the actor was “embarrassed and hurt” by the jokes in Rock’s Netflix special, Selective Outrage. Following the events of the 2022 ceremony, Smith was banned from the Oscars for 10 years and resigned from the board.