The 94th Academy Awards left audiences in shock. There were groundbreaking wins, but all were overshadowed by Will Smith slapping Chris Rock. The altercation happened later in the evening while Rock was about to present the winner for the Best Documentary category. The slap stemmed from a joke Chris Rock told about Jada Pinkett Smith’s hair, which prompted her husband, Will Smith, to march on stage and hit Rock. According to a poll by Pamplin Film Company on Twitter, 58% of people say that Will Smith is in the wrong and 14% say Chris Rock is in the wrong, with the others being somewhere in between. Senior Jamena Glasford says, “I blame Chris Rock because he did not have the right to anything about Will Smith’s wife because she has a condition that she can not control.”

  Just moments later, Will Smith tearfully accepted the award for Best Actor and apologized to the Academy and his fellow nominees. On Friday, April 1st, just days after the awards ceremony, Will Smith announced his resignation from the Academy. Afterwards, the Academy announced that it would “initiate disciplinary proceedings” against Smith for violating the Academy’s standards of conduct.

  Although the confrontation was by far the most talked about event at the Oscars, there were plenty of historic victories. CODA was the first film by a streaming service to win Best Picture, winning in three categories. Ariana DeBose became the first queer Black women to win Best Supporting Actress for her role in West Side Story. Troy Kotsur won Best Supporting Actor for CODA, making him the first deaf man to win an Oscar for acting. 

  With the steady decline of viewership in awards shows like the Oscars, will this year’s Academy Awards cause even more people to turn it off for good? Senior Monet Chriss says, “It is always so hectic at the Oscars. This year was a mess.” Viewership rapidly declined from 2020 to 2021, dropping by 13.2 million total viewers. However, this year’s 2022 Oscars popped back up again in numbers, gaining five million from last year. This year’s events may either cause the Oscars to sink or swim. Unprofessionalism at the hands of Will Smith may cause people to finally abandon the Oscars or a large number of people may tune in next year with the hopes that something even more dramatic and entertaining will happen. 

Here is a full list of winners:

• Best Picture: CODA
• Best Actress: Jessica Chastain, The Eyes of Tammy Faye
• Best Actor: Will Smith, King Richard
• Best Director: Jane Campion, The Power of the Dog
• Best Original Song: “No Time to Die” by Billie Eilish 
• Best Documentary: Summer of Soul
• Best Adapted Screenplay: CODA
• Best Original Screenplay: Belfast
• Best Costume Design: Cruella
• Best International Feature: Drive My Car
• Best Animated Feature: Encanto
• Best Visual Effects: Dune
• Best Cinematography: Dune
• Best Supporting actress: Ariana DeBose, West Side Story
• Best Film Editing: Dune
• Best Score: Dune
• Best Sound: Dune
• Best Production Design: Dune
• Best Makeup and Hairstyling: The Eyes of Tammy Faye
• Best Documentary (Short): The Queen of Basketball
• Best Animated Short: The Windshield Wiper
• Best Short Film: The Long Goodbye