Oscars 2023: ‘crisis team’ set to be deployed in response to Will Smith’s slap on comic Chris Rock

In response to the now-infamous incident which saw Will Smith’s slap Chris Rock, a ‘crisis team’ will be introduced at the Oscars this year, with the team on hand to deal with any real time incidents.

Smith walked on stage to slap the comic in a response to a joke made by Rock regarding The Pursuit of Happiness’ star’s wife, Jada-Pinkett Smith. Academy chief executive Bill Kramer told Time magazine the new unit had "run many scenarios".

The joke was made about Pinkett-Smith’s alopecia diagnosis. After returning to his seat following the incident, the actor repeatedly shouted, "Keep my wife’s name out your [expletive] mouth" at Rock.

Despite the incident, Smith remained at the ceremony and even collected an award later, picking up the best actor Oscar for his performance in King Richard, where he portrayed the father and coach of tennis players Venus and Serena Williams.

Although he stayed for the rest of the night, Smith did eventually resign from the Academy. The fallout for Smith continued in the wake of the incident, as he was banned from the Oscars gala and other Academy events for 10 years.

The 2023 Oscars will take place on March 13 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. Nominees this year for Best Picture include Top Gun: Maverick, Everything Everywhere All at Once and more.

Up for Best Actor is Brendan Fraser for his role in The Whale, Austin Butler for his portrayal of music legend Elvis Presley, Colin Farrell in The Banshees of Inisherin, Bill Nighy in Living and Paul Mescal in Aftersun.