Wanda Sykes Is Still Traumatized By Will Smith Oscars Incident

Comedian Wanda Sykes is apparently still trying to move on from Will Smith's Oscar slap. The "King Richard" actor slapped Chris Rock on the stage of the 2022 Oscars after the 57-year-old made a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith and her lack of hair.

In the ensuing weeks, the Oscar winner apologized and resigned from the Academy. He also got banned from attending any Academy event for the next ten years. Smith is reportedly in India for a "spiritual" trip to work on himself.

Since it happened, several celebrities have trooped in to talk about their reactions and feelings about the incident, Sykes being one of them. The actress previously made her thoughts about the situation known but recently mentioned it again during a stop on her comedy tour in Orlando, Florida.

Sykes has even more to say about Smith's Oscar's slap. The actress recently spoke about the incident and how much it unsettled her and still does. Smith slapped Rock during the 2022 Academy Awards this past March after the comedian made an unappreciated joke about his wife, Jada.

Sykes went on a comedy tour, and during a Thursday evening stop in Orlando, Florida, the comedian told the audience she was still "traumatized" about the event. The 58-year-old said, "I'm still traumatized. I can't talk about it. I get emotional."

Still talking to the crowd at the Dr. Philips Center for the Performing Arts, the comedian revealed that she was incredibly shocked when Smith sat through the rest of the award show and received his Best Actor award after the slap. "I couldn't believe he was still sitting there, like an a--hole," she said.

The actress continued, "Shouldn't you be sitting there with a lawyer or LAPD, motherf--ker? I hope he gets his s--t together. Until then, f--k him."

This isn't the first time the "Monster In Law" actress has talked about her reaction to the Oscars incident. During an appearance on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," the 58-year-old said that she "physically felt ill" after hearing about the slap.

Sykes also talked about how Smith was allowed to stay in the room and "enjoy the rest of the show" and accept his award was "gross." "This sends the wrong message," she said. She added that she felt horrible for "[her] friend Chris" when she was told about the incident backstage.

She continued, "I saw Chris at [Guy Oseary's afterparty], and as soon as I walked up to him, the first thing he said is, 'I'm so sorry.' I was like, 'Why are you apologizing?' He was like; it was supposed to be your night. You and Amy, and Regina were doing such a great job. I'm so sorry this is now gonna be about this." She added, "Because that's who Chris is."

During the concluded Oscars award, Smith got on stage and slapped comedian Rock after the 57-year-old made a joke about his wife, Jada's hair, or lack of it. The actress previously revealed that she was suffering from alopecia which resulted in hair loss.

Smith returned to his seat after the infamous slap and then yelled to the stunned comedian, "Keep my wife's name out of your f--king mouth!" Rock, who was initially speechless, continued the show by presenting the award he was originally supposed to present.

Following the incident, the "Bright" actor issued apologies to the public and the attendees of the award show. He also directly apologized to Rock, citing his emotions as the reason for his actions. According to the actor, the "joke about Jada's medical condition was too much for me to bear."

Following the incident, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences concluded to ban Smith from all Oscar-related events for the next ten years. The actor also resigned from the Academy.

In the released statement sent by the Academy President David Rubin and Dawn Hudson, the CEO, Smith received a ban from both physical and virtual appearances in the events. It read that "for a period of 10 years from April 8, 2022, Mr. Smith shall not be permitted to attend any Academy events it programs, in-person or virtual, including but not limited to the Academy Awards."

Via People, Smith recently traveled to India in a bid to work on himself and control his emotions. The visit reportedly consists of hours of yoga and meditation for spiritual purposes.