Wanda Sykes has admitted she’s “traumatised” by the events that unfolded at the Oscars 2022.
The comedian co-hosted the 94th Academy Awards alongside Amy Schumer and Regina Hall on Sunday night, and witnessed Will Smith storming onto the stage and slapping Chris Rock across the face.
During her appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Wanda revealed Chris apologised to her for what happened at Gucci’s 14th Annual The Party.
She said: “As soon as I walked up, the first thing he [Chris] said to me was, ‘I am so sorry. It was supposed to be your night. You and Amy and Regina were doing such a good job. I’m so sorry this is going to be about this,’ That’s who Chris is.”
“I just felt so awful for my friend Chris. It was sickening. I physically felt ill and I’m still a little traumatized by it. For [the Academy] to let him stay in that room and enjoy the rest of the show and accept his award. I was like, ‘How gross is this?’ This is just the wrong message.”
“You assault somebody, you get escorted out the building and that’s it. But for them to let him continue, I thought it was gross. Plus, I wanted to be able to run out after he won and say, ‘Unfortunately Will couldn’t be here tonight.'”
While Will has made a public apology, Wanda was upset at the fact he never apologised to her along with her co hosts Regina and Amy, as the trio had been working for weeks to prepare the show.
She said: “I know he apologized to Chris but I believe we were the hosts. This is our house. We’re inviting you in. We’re going to take care of all of you tonight.”
“Make sure you have a good time. Nobody has apologized to us. We worked really hard to put that show together. What the hell is this? It’s just wrong.”
