Andrew Garfield Confirms He Had The Most Relatable Reaction To The Oscars Slap

Andrew Garfield recently made fans' hearts drop by joking that he'd retired from acting during an interview on "The View." However, in good news for followers of the "Amazing Spider-Man" star, Garfield specified that he's just planning to take a much-needed long "holiday" and not ditching acting altogether. In his most recent job, Garfield appeared in Marvel's "Spider-Man: No Way Home" in December 2021. He was one of three actors playing Peter Parker in the iconic film, as it also incorporated fellow "Spider-Man" stars Tobey Maguire and Tom Holland.

Like many celebrities promoting their work, Garfield has been busy keeping up with constant in-person appearances and events this year. He was one of the many celebs in the house at the 2022 Oscars who saw Will Smith slap presenter Chris Rock onstage, per Entertainment Weekly. Garfield's reaction to the moment was so nonchalant it became a viral meme instantly, as a photo shows him texting after it all went down. 

Now an internet muse, Garfield has explained what really was going through his head while sitting in the audience at the Academy Awards show and who he was messaging. And looking back on the night, Garfield claims he feels "really bad" about how everything ended up.

Andrew Garfield admits he was texting a friend in his viral Oscars meme

During an April 28 interview on "The View," Andrew Garfield told the talk show's hosts that he was indeed texting friends after Will Smith and Chris Rock's altercation on stage at the 2022 Oscars. "I feel so bad, because Kevin Costner is introducing the director nominees in the most beautiful and elegant way," the "Spider-Man" actor explained. "And I'm like, 'There's no way I'm going to be on camera during this.'" At that point, Garfield cleared up the viral photo, stating that his friends were wondering "what the vibe in the room" was after the incident, and they "took priority over Kevin," which is something Garfield added he still feels "really bad about." However, he stopped short of commenting on the onstage altercation. "No comment on the Slapgate," he said. Funnily enough, this isn't the first time he's been affiliated with the scandal. 

Days after the memorable slap, Garfield garnered buzz when a video obtained by The Independent showed the "Under the Banner of Heaven" actor seemingly impersonating what happened. However, fans were quick to back Garfield up, with one person chiming in that fame comes with a price, commenting, "Imagine the number of times we'd be called out for mocking someone if we saw something surprising and mimicked it later to a buddy."