The 2022 Oscar Awards Ceremony was an event rife with historical achievements and thrilling surprises, yet the event that seemed to overshadow all of this was actor Will Smith walking onto stage and slapping comedian Chris Rock after Rock cracked a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, relating to her alopecia. The incident was broadcast internationally and shortly after the incident, Will Smith walked back onto stage, this time to accept an Oscar award for Best Actor. While giving a tearful speech apologizing to the Academy and thanking people for his award, the media erupted with opinionated responses to the occurrence.

Not only potentially harming Smith’s career and the already-impaired perception of the Academy, this event resurfaced harmful stereotypes that have affected the Black community for years. In a blog post to his website, NBA Star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar wrote, “One of the main talking points from those supporting the systemic racism in America is characterizing Blacks as more prone to violence and less able to control their emotions,” and “Smith just gave comfort to the enemy by providing them with the perfect optics they were dreaming of.” Others feel similarly to Abdul-Jabbar. In a Washington Post editorial, Jonathan Capehart writes, “That smack was a blow to all Black people who have worked for our dignity and acceptance—and especially to the legacy of those Black performers who made Smith’s presence at the Oscars possible in the first place.” Similarly, New York Times critic Wesley Morris writes, “A lot of odds had to be beat for these men—raised poor, lower-middle-class—to converge in this strange moment, as affluent shapers of culture. But an arc on that circle has marred the whole. And I don’t think that it’s overdoing it to identify that blemish as a tragic drama.” In a short few days after the Oscars ceremony, Will Smith received a 10-year ban from attending.

Although opinions regarding the slap vary within the black community, some backing Smith and others condemning his actions, the idea that this event has perpetuated stereotypes about the Black community is something widely agreed on within the community. With the Academy having frequently been accused of racism and discrimination against people of color, the future of representation of Black people in this awards ceremony is uncertain.