CODA wins big, Will Smith hits back, and more unforgettable moments from the 2022 Oscars

In unquestionably the most talked-about moment from the 2022 Oscars, Will Smith took it upon himself to defend wife Jada Pinkett Smith after he decided that a joke by presenter Chris Rock was in poor taste. In the midst of Rock’s presentation, Smith bounded on stage and slapped Rock, prompting the quick-witted comedian to observe, “Wow, Will Smith just slapped the shit out of me.”

Smith continued to yell at Rock to “Keep my wife’s name out of your fucking mouth” as the comic soldiered on to present the award for Best Documentary. Speculation immediately ensued about whether or not the moment was genuine or staged. Discussion exploded on social media about what would come first—an arrest for assault or an Oscar for Smith? It turned out to be the latter, but conversations about what kind of joke “deserves” a response like Smith’s are sure to continue Monday morning.

“I hope the Academy invites me back.” –Will Smith closing out his acceptance speech after winning Best Actor honors.

Presenter Sean “Diddy” Combs had the challenging task of following up the Will Smith-Chris Rock scuffle. Diddy, in a bit of improv, tried to extend olive branches all around. “I didn’t know that this year was going to be the most exciting Oscars ever. Will and Chris, we’re gonna fix this with love.”

The 2022 Best Picture race turned into a showdown between two very different but equally beloved front runners: CODA and The Power Of The Dog. Sian Heder’s CODA took home top honors, underscoring the timeless appeal of a movie that tugs at the heartstrings, leaving the sophisticated and skilled filmmaking of Jane Campion’s complex Western on the outside looking in. Campion already made history by becoming the only woman to be nominated twice for Best Director, and she won the director award moments before the Best Picture race was settled. As the cast and crew of CODA gathered onstage to celebrate their own landmark achievement for representation, they gave the Oscars a closing note of progress and positivity.

Best Supporting Actor Troy Kotsur finished out his awards season winning-streak with a speech as smart and heartfelt as his performance in CODA. From giving warm thanks for director Sian Heder to a brief-yet-delightful impression of Popeye, Kotsur infused his genuine joy with signature CODA comedy for the perfect finishing flourish. The second-ever deaf actor to win an Academy Award—fellow deaf actor and CODA co-star Marlee Matlin won in 1986—Kotsur swept the Critics Choice Awards, BAFTAs, Golden Globes, Independent Spirit Awards, SAG Awards, and Gotham Independent Film Awards.

Co-host Amy Schumer had one of the night’s best showings with a witty performance that rarely faltered. The stand-up comedian started strong, joking about the circumstances of her high-profile gig (“This year the Academy hired three women to host, because it’s cheaper than hiring one man”) and the state of awards shows writ large (“You know what’s in the In Memoriam this year? The Golden Globes.”)

One of Schumer’s last lines rang truest–and funniest. Remerging after the Chris Rock-Will Smith debacle, not long after appearing in a Spider-Man: No Way Home bit, Schumer improvised: “I’ve been getting out of that Spider-Man costume. Did I miss anything?”

Jessica Chastain spent 10 years trying to get Tammy Faye Messner’s story told, and that effort paid off when she won the Best Actress statuette for her performance as the disgraced televangelist in The Eyes Of Tammy Faye. In a poignant, wide-ranging acceptance speech, Chastain highlighted Messners’s efforts to defend and advance LGBTQ rights, at a time when doing so put her at odds with the religious community.

Beyoncé kicked off the 2022 Oscars with a jaw-dropping performance of “Be Alive,” her Best Song-nominated ballad from King Richard. Clad in a tennis-ball yellow gown and backed by a huge group of musicians wearing the same shade, the first-time nominee performed live from the Tragniew Park Courts in Compton, California—where Venus and Serena Williams famously ran drills as children. Harkening back to the critical representation of concert-doc Homecoming, Bey started the number by doing a call-and-response with her back-up dancers: “Tell ’em where we are!” “City of Compton!” The result was an inspiring, sports-infused fantasy underlining the track’s much-deserved nod.

Disney oddly opted not to push the megahit “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” for Best Original Song (“Dos Orouguitas,” a more somber track from Best Animated Feature winner Encanto got the nod instead, and came up short). But the jazzy villain theme got its Oscar moment anyway when the movie’s voice actors joined other musical performers, including rapper Megan Thee Stallion, to deliver an electric dance number that offered the best entertainment value of any act all night.

After capturing the Best Song Oscar for their “No Time To Die” theme, Billie Eilish and brother Finneas made sure to give a shout out to a couple of very important people. “We want to thank our parents who have always been our biggest inspirations and our heroes,” Finneas said. “We love you as parents–and we love you as real people, too.”

Wanda Sykes delivered an early heads-up to the Sunshine State. “We’re gonna have a great night tonight—and for you people in Florida, we’re gonna have a gay night,” she said.

“Now you see why Anita says, ‘I want to be in America.’ Because even in this weary world that we live in, dreams do come true. And that’s really a heartening thing right now,” said Ariana DeBose, after capping an extraordinary awards season by claiming Best Supporting Actress for her work in West Side Story.

After setting a record by becoming the first person to be nominated in seven different Oscar categories during his career, Kenneth Branagh finally captured a statuette. Branagh won his first Oscar for original screenplay for Belfast, a tale of Protestant and Catholic strife in 1969 Ireland that was inspired by Branagh’s own childhood.

We believe in America! Fifty years after the film arrived in theaters, Robert De Niro, Francis Ford Coppola, and Al Pacino took the stage together to remember one of cinema’s most iconic titles: The Godfather. In a night that featured multiple anniversary reunions, this one earned a standing ovation and was especially reverent. Coppola paid tribute to his many collaborators on the film, but singled out the late writer Mario Puzo and producer Robert Evans.

The stars of Juno, Pulp Fiction, and White Men Can’t Jump also had reunion turns at the show. Alongside Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman and John Travolta did the twist–before they opened Pulp Fiction’s iconic briefcase to pull out the Best Actor envelope. Rosie Perez, Woody Harrelson, and Wesley Snipes joked around about White Men Can’t Jump, before Snipes got a little too in-character and forgot to read the teleprompter. And Elliot Page, Jennifer Garner, and J.K. Simmons revisited Juno, with Simmons even saying “pork swords.”

The In Memoriam segment is an Oscars mainstay, offering audiences the opportunity to reflect on the talents who passed away in the past year. It’s usually a staid affair, featuring an orchestra, a slideshow, and some tearful crowd shots. But for 2022, the Academy pulled out all the stops—setting the traditional look-back photos to a lively performance by a gospel choir. When it came time to honor the late Betty White, Jamie Lee Curtis even appeared on stage with a puppy, asking those watching to consider adopting while thanking the Golden Girls actor for always being a friend to all.

The war in Ukraine loomed over this Oscars ceremony—but in terms of spoken tributes or emphatic political statements, it was mostly quiet on the Eastern front. Other than a moment of silence with a solemn placard during the telecast, acknowledgments were few and far between. Coppola ended his Godfather presentation with “Viva Ukraine!” which De Niro echoed, and late in the ceremony Schumer slipped in an offhandedly dark comment about atrocities in Ukraine, calling them a genocide. When it was announced that the Ukrainian-born Mila Kunis was among the show’s presenters, many assumed she would be voicing support on Hollywood’s behalf; instead, she introduced Reba McEntire’s performance of Diane Warren’s “Somehow You Do.”

The middle of any awards show is tough on the audience’s attention span. But co-host Wanda Sykes’ inexplicable trip to the Academy Museum was an especially slow bit in an already bumpy night. Lasting roughly three minutes, this glorified tourism ad saw actor Tim Bagley playing docent to Sykes as she wandered around Academy Museum exhibits, making some decently funny quips but mainly underlining that admission costs just $15. Yeah, okay.

Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, a first-time feature director for Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised), took to the stage—moments after the Smith-Rock brouhaha—to accept the Best Documentary prize. As with many of the best awards show moments, the emotions emerged; the musician teared up mentioning the Harlem Cultural Festival that his film chronicles. “I’m sorry, I’m just overwhelmed right now,” he said in his poignant speech. “I’m so happy right now, I could cry.”

Joe Walker, who won Best Editing honors for his work on Dune (one of six Oscars on the night for the sci-fi epic), revealed a little-known Oscar truth in his acceptance speech. “So you may not know, but the words ‘Oscar-nominated’ can be used, in the hands of a skilled 17-year-old, as an insult,” Walker deadpanned. “My daughter once said to me in an argument, ‘It’s all very well for you, Oscar-nominated Joe Walker.’” That’s Oscar-winning Joe Walker to you, kiddo!

To present Best Picture, the Academy brought out a pair of showstoppers, Lady Gaga and Oscar-winner Liza Minnelli. When an ailing Minnelli struggled with her part in the announcement, Gaga whispered confidently, “I got you.” Minnelli, ever the pro, responded, “I know.”