Oscars 2023: (Watch) Jimmy Kimmel Roasts Will Smith Slap In Opening Monologue

The 95th Academy Awards ceremony took place at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, and Jimmy Kimmel served as the host for the event. In his opening monologue, Kimmel addressed the elephant in the room, which was Will Smith’s infamous Oscar slap. He started by joking about the possibility of violence during the telecast and emphasized the importance of everyone feeling safe.

Kimmel then mentioned the crisis team in place in case of any unpredictable or violent incidents. He added a touch of humor by calling out fictional characters who might offer him protection, such as Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan), the Mandolorian (Pedro Pascal) and Spiderman (Andrew Garfield). He ended his monologue by warning anyone who might get mad at a joke that it wouldn’t be easy to get through his security team.

”And if any of you get mad at a joke and decide you want to get jiggy with it — it’s not going to be easy. You’re going to have to get through the heavyweight champ, Adonis Creed, you’re going to have to deal with Michelle Yeoh … you’re going to have to tangle with Spider-Man, you’re going to have to tangle with Fabelman, and then you’re going to have to go through my right-hand man Guillermo,” Mr Kimmel concluded his monologue.

Watch the video here:

Here’s the portion of Jimmy Kimmel’s opening monologue where he referenced Will Smith’s slap from last year’s show! 😂#Oscars pic.twitter.com/2ksrwAnRJa

— Screen Off Script (@ScreenOffScript) March 13, 2023

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The controversy surrounding Will Smith’s slap incident in 2022 was also mentioned, with Smith receiving a 10-year ban from attending the Academy Awards. Kimmel’s opening monologue set the tone for the event, which promised to be a fun and entertaining evening for all involved.