Explained: What is the crisis team set up by the Oscars after last year's 'slapgate'?

After the infamous ‘slapgate’ at the 2022 Oscars, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is not taking any chances this year. Academy chief executive Bill Kramer has revealed that a “crisis team” will be present at this year’s Oscars to tackle any real-time incidents that arise during the awards ceremony. This is the first time in the 95-year history of the Oscars that such a measure has been taken to avoid controversies. What was this slapgate that prompted the Academy to set up a crisis team? What will this team do? Let’s take a closer look. The notorious Oscars slap It was a slap that overshadowed last year’s Oscars. Will Smith stormed across the stage and smacked comedian Chris Rock after he made an unsavoury joke about The Pursuit of Happyness’ actor’s wife. Rock had quipped about Jada Pinkett Smith’s bald head, which she shaved after an alopecia diagnosis. After going back to his seat, Smith yelled at Rock, “Keep my wife’s name out your f*cking mouth”. The incident stunned the audience at the Dolby Theater as well as viewers across the world. Soon after this, Smith was back on the stage to collect the Oscar for Best Actor for his film King Richard. [caption id=“attachment_12204482” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Will Smith won best actor Oscar for King Richard. AFP File Photo[/caption] The scandal left the world divided with some slamming Smith for his behaviour and others calling out Rock on his distasteful remark. Later that night, the Academy issued a statement saying it “does not condone violence in any form”. Days later, Smith resigned from the Academy. Eventually, he was banned from the Oscars gala and all Academy events for 10 years. Last July, Smith opened up about the incident in a video and apologised to Rock. “I’ve reached out to Chris and the message that came back is he’s not ready to talk, and when he is, he will reach out.” Oscars’ crisis team Kramer, who took over as the Academy CEO last July, told Time magazine in an interview, that after last year’s slap, they have “opened” their “minds to the many things that can happen at the Oscars”.

“We have a whole crisis team, something we’ve never had before, and many plans in place”.

“We’ve run many scenarios. So it is our hope that we will be prepared for anything that we may not anticipate right now but that we’re planning for just in case it does happen.” “But these crisis plans — the crisis communication teams and structures we have in place — allow us to say this is the group that we have to gather very quickly. This is how we all come together. This is the spokesperson. This will be the statement. And obviously depending on the specifics of the crisis, and let’s hope something doesn’t happen and we never have to use these, but we already have frameworks in place that we can modify,” Kramer was quoted as saying by Time. This comes after Academy president Janet Yang previously acknowledged that their response to the Smith incident was not swift. [caption id=“attachment_12204492” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] The 95th Academy Awards will be held on 12 March. AP File Photo[/caption] Addressing the annual Oscar nominees luncheon earlier this month, Yang said the Academy had learned to be “fully transparent and accountable in our actions”. “Particularly in times of crisis we must act swiftly and compassionately and decisively for ourselves and for our industry,” she said, as per The Guardian. Kramer also told Time that this year’s Oscar host TV presenter Jimmy Kimmel was an “asset” in case any “potential surprises” spring up during the ceremony. “That’s why you want someone like Jimmy on stage who is used to dealing with live TV: Things don’t always go as planned. So you have a host in place who can really pivot and manage those moments,” the Academy CEO said. The crisis team is already in action after the unexpected best actress Oscar nomination for British actress Andrea Riseborough last month stirred a race row. Her indie film To Leslie entered the Oscar race after a concerted campaign by stars like Gwyneth Paltrow, Courteney Cox, Jennifer Aniston and Edward Norton. This soon led to accusations of unfair tactics and whether these endorsements violated the Oscars’ rules on campaigning. The Academy reacted immediately saying the issues did “not rise to the level that the film’s nomination should be rescinded”, reported BBC. “You know, that happened on a Tuesday and, six days later, we were able to issue our formal statement from the board that really carved out a plan for us,” Kramer told Time. The stage is set for the 95th Academy Awards which will be held on 12 March. Now, all we can do is brace for the surprises, if any, that await this year. The crisis team is on its mark, ready to get set, and go. And with Kimmel at the helm, expect those slap jokes to come. With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.