The One Joke Amy Schumer Says She Wasn't Allowed To Make At The Oscars
Leading up to the 2022 Academy Awards, Amy Schumer hinted that she would come out swinging and not hold back on jokes aimed at Hollywood's elite. "I'm going to get myself in some trouble as per the [usual]," she told Extra on March 7. The "Trainwreck" star joked that she would leave several celebrities unhappy. "I'll burn every bridge," Schumer added. During her monologue, the comedian referred to the film "King Richard" starring Will Smith. "After years of Hollywood ignoring women's stories, we finally got a movie about the incredible Williams' sisters' ... dad," Schumer quipped (via Decider).
Of course, any mild controversy Schumer may have encountered for her roast-style set was completely upstaged by Smith's infamous slap of Chris Rock. On March 28, the Oscars co-host shared a series of snaps from the awards show on Instagram. "I think we are all gonna be processing tonight for a while," Schumer wrote while referencing Smith's attack. "And my jaw is still on the floor," she added in a caption that was mostly filled with gratitude for those who helped bring her hosting duties together.
In a since-deleted Instagram post that was originally posted a couple days after the Oscars (via the Los Angeles Times), Schumer revealed that she was still shaken from the on-stage altercation. "But for real. Still triggered and traumatized," she wrote. Not long after, Schumer hit the stage to perform stand-up, and decided to share a few jokes that were cut from the awards show broadcast.
Amy Schumer's edgy Alec Baldwin joke
Less than a week after fulfilling her hosting duties at the Academy Awards, Amy Schumer took the stage at the Las Vegas Mirage Theater, and discussed how it felt to see Will Smith walk over and slap Chris Rock. "I was kind of feeling myself ... and then all of a sudden, Ali was making his way up," Schumer told the crowd, per Vanity Fair. The "I Feel Pretty" star said the incident "was really upsetting," and mentioned that she wanted to share a few jokes that Oscars producers had barred her from saying on-air.
Schumer prefaced the bit by claiming a lawyer had advised her not to use the jokes. The comedian told the Vegas crowd a joke about Joe Rogan, and a joke that referenced allegations against James Franco, plus a one-liner about Alec Baldwin's on-set shooting. "'Don't Look Up' is the name of a movie? More like don't look down the barrel of Alec Baldwin's shotgun," Schumer said. The comic took issue with how she was censored, but Smith went seemingly unchecked. "I wasn't allowed to say any of that, but you can just come up and [slap] someone," Schumer mused.
One joke the famed comic did use on the broadcast that caused blow back was when she joked that Kirsten Dunst was actually just a seat-filler. Schumer responded on Instagram the next day (via People) and clarified that Dunst was part of the bit. "Wouldn't disrespect that queen like that," Schumer wrote in her Instagram Story.