Amy Schumer Reveals What It Was Really Like Backstage At The Oscars After Will Smith's Slap
"Inside Amy Schumer" star and Oscars co-host Amy Schumer has been very vocal about her feelings about the Will Smith-Chris Rock altercation that went down live during the Oscars broadcast on March 27. While the "Trainwreck" star may have seemed unfased during the broadcast as she joked about The Slap — quipping to the audience, "I've been getting out of that Spider-Man costume. Did I miss anything?" — she has since revealed a few times that it has rocked her to her core.
In a now-deleted Instagram post, Schumer candidly wrote in the caption, "I love my friend @chrisrock and believe he handled it like a pro. Stayed up there and gave an Oscar to his friend @questlove and the whole thing was so disturbing. So much pain in @willsmith anyway I'm still in shock and stunned and sad." She added, "Im proud of myself and my cohosts. But yeah. Waiting for this sickening feeling to go away from what we all witnessed." On April 2, during a stand-up show in Las Vegas, the "I Feel Pretty" star spoke about it again, saying she had no jokes to offer about the moment and calling it a "f****** bummer" and "really upsetting," and that the slap heard round the world speaks "so much about toxic masculinity."
Now, the "Life & Beth" star is speaking out about The Slap once again in a candid new interview, and according to Schumer, she wasn't sure how to handle it when Smith received a standing O for winning Best Actor.
Amy Schumer says she was 'floored' by Will Smith's standing ovation
On April 6, comedian Amy Schumer appeared on "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen" and shared her candid thoughts about Will Smith's standing ovation for his Best Actor Oscar win which followed The Slap. "I was backstage, and I knew I had to go out," she told Cohen, "I was kind of the only host that was going out solo after that, so it really felt like the Situation Room of comedy! We were all watching the monitor, and then he won ... everybody, we were just kind of floored. And I was just thinking about, 'What am I going to do when I go out there?'"
Schumer was also floored by another moment during the broadcast, but in a much happier and heartwarming way, telling Cohen that the moment Lady Gaga whispered "I've got you" to living legend Liza Minnelli was a highlight for her. "That was one of my favorite moments and just seeing them together backstage." She then praised Lady Gaga for being "gentle and patient" and for continually showing up for the elder Hollywood generation, like Tony Bennett.
Schumer's Oscars co-host for the night, Wanda Sykes, has also spoken about how letting Smith remain in the Dolby Theatre to accept his award sent "the wrong message." Speaking out on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," Sykes quipped, "I wanted to be able to run out after he won and say, 'Uh, unfortunately, Will couldn't be here tonight!'"