Awards
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The 2023 Academy Awards are just days away, and songs by some of today’s biggest artists are up for the best original song Oscar.
Lady Gaga is nominated for “Hold My Hand” (Top Gun: Maverick) and Rihanna is up for “Lift Me Up (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever). This is Rihanna’s first and Gaga’s fourth Oscar nomination, and Gaga previously won for co-writing “Shallow” from A Star Is Born. Diane Warren also received her 14th Oscar nom for “Applause” (Tell It Like a Woman). David Byrne, Sox Lux founder Ryan Lott and Mitski are also Oscar nominees in the best original song category thanks to “This Is A Life” from Everything Everywhere All At Once, which is the most-nominated film this year with 11 nods.
Ahead of the Oscars, we at Billboard want to know which song you think should win the trophy. Let us know by voting in our poll below.
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The People’s Choice Awards is expanding with the announcement of the first-ever People’s Choice Country Awards airing in September across NBC and Peacock, live from the Grand Ole Opry stage in Nashville.
The two-hour telecast will give NBC a country awards show to compete with the CMA Awards, which have aired on ABC since 2006; the CMT Music Awards, which have aired on CBS since 2022; and the ACM Awards, which have streamed on Prime Video since 2022.
NBC aired the CMA Awards from 1968-71 and the ACM Awards from 1979-97 but hasn’t been in the country awards game for years.
“We’re excited to partner with the Grand Ole Opry to bring the year’s biggest celebration in country music to Nashville,” Cassandra Tryon, senior vice president, live events, NBCUniversal Television & Streaming, said in a statement. “Country fans are passionate about their music and there’s no better place to host this event than from country music’s biggest stage.”
As the show’s name implies, the winners will be chosen entirely by the fans, though several honorary awards will also be bestowed.
The People’s Choice Country Awards will extend to social platforms with All-Access Live bringing fans at home behind the scenes as well as interactively connecting country’s most popular stars with their biggest fans.
The telecast will be produced by Den of Thieves with Jesse Ignjatovic, Evan Prager and Barb Bialkowski serving as executive producers
The People’s Choice Awards aired on CBS from 1975-2017 and was highly rated for many years. E! acquired the show in 2017; it aired on that channel for the first time in 2018. NBC joined E! in airing the show in 2021.
The People’s Choice Awards has long included country categories and performances. At the most recent People’s Choice Awards, which aired Dec. 6, 2022, Shania Twain performed a four-song hit medley. Carrie Underwood was voted the country artist of 2022, beating Kelsea Ballerini, Kane Brown, Luke Combs, Miranda Lambert, Maren Morris, Thomas Rhett and Morgan Wallen.
The 2022 People’s Choice Awards bucked industry trends with year-over-year ratings growth on the broadcast network, and delivered 173 million total engagements across linear, digital and social platforms, according to an NBC statement.
This new project is an example of collaboration resulting from NBCUniversal’s equity investment in Opry Entertainment Group alongside Atairos, which was finalized last year.
The upcoming awards show is the latest in a series of moves from Ryman Hospitality Properties and Opry Entertainment Group. This week, OEG revealed a minority investment in country music lifestyle brand Whiskey Riff. In 2022, Ryman Hospitality Properties closed on its purchase of Block 21, a property that includes ACL Live at Moody Theater, the home venue of the television program Austin City Limits. 2020 saw the launch of Circle Network, a joint venture between OEG and Gray Television that featured Grand Ole Opry performances and more.
—Jessica Nicholson assisted in preparing this story
Last year, all four of the actors who won Oscars – Will Smith and Jessica Chastain in the lead categories, and Troy Kotsur and Ariana DeBose in the supporting races — had won in those same categories at the Screen Actors Guild Awards one month earlier. Their Oscar coronations were not quite foregone conclusions, but nearly so.
It’s very different this year. Only one of the actors who won at the SAG Awards on Feb. 26 seems certain of also winning an Oscar on Sunday, March 12. That’s Ke Huy Quan for his supporting role in Everything Everywhere All at Once.
Michelle Yeoh, who won the SAG Award for her leading role in that same film, is probably the front-runner to also win the Oscar, but Cate Blanchett can’t be counted out for her acclaimed performance in Tár. Blanchett has already won two Oscars, which may work against her here.
Brendan Fraser, who won at the SAG Awards for his lead performance in The Whale, is a serious contender for the Oscar, but Austin Butler (for Elvis) and Colin Farrell (for The Banshees of Inisherin) could just as easily take it. This one is too close to call.
So is the race for best supporting actress. Jamie Lee Curtis won at the SAG Awards for her supporting turn in Everything Everywhere All at Once, and gave a great, self-deprecating speech, referring to herself a “nepo baby.” (Curtis is the daughter of Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh, two of the top Hollywood stars of their era.) She could easily also win the Oscar – in the same category where her mom was nominated (and lost) for her unforgettable performance in Psycho.
But many will want to see the Oscar go to Angela Bassett for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, particularly after two other Black actresses — Viola Davis (for The Woman King) and Danielle Deadwyler (for Till) — were passed over for Oscar nods for best actress. This race, too, is too close to call.
How closely have the SAG Awards winners aligned with the Oscar winners in the four acting categories? Pretty closely, but not well enough for SAG winners to get overly confident.
Since the SAG Awards began in 1995 (honoring films released in 1994), all four SAG winners went on to win Oscars nine times. Three of the four went on to win Oscars 11 times. Let’s pause here: The SAG winners aligned with the Oscar winners in at least three of the four categories 20 times in the past 28 years – an impressive rate of agreement.
That leaves eight years where the agreement was less impressive. Just two of the four SAG winners went on to win Oscars six times. Just one of the four went on to win the Oscar twice. Those two years where the two voting bodies were far apart were 2001 and 2002, where they agreed only on Halle Berry in Monster’s Ball (2001) and Catherine Zeta-Jones in Chicago (2002).
The rate of agreement between the two shows has increased over time. In the SAG Awards’ first 14 years, they agreed on all four winners just twice. In the last 14 years, they have agreed seven times.
Benicio Del Toro (Traffic) and Kate Winslet (The Reader) were winners at both shows, but in different categories. Del Toro won the SAG Award for outstanding performance by a male actor in a leading role, but he went on to win the Oscar for best supporting actor. It worked the other way around for Winslet, who won the SAG Award for outstanding performance by a female actor in a supporting role, but went on to win the Oscar for best actress. (Since they both won at both shows, we counted them as in agreement.)
The SAG Awards have had one tie in a Big Four acting category. In 1997, Kim Basinger (L.A. Confidential) tied for outstanding performance by a female actor in a supporting role with Gloria Stuart (Titanic). Basinger went on to win the Oscar. (Since at least one of the SAG winners went on to win at the Oscars, we counted that as being in agreement too.)
The SAG Awards have presented two of their marquee film acting awards posthumously, to Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight and Chadwick Boseman in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. Only Ledger went on to win the Oscar.
John Travolta is set to present on the 2023 Oscars on Sunday, March 12. This will give the veteran actor another chance to prove that his inexplicable mangling of Idina Menzel’s name as Adele Dazeem on the Oscars nine years ago was just a once-in-a-lifetime verbal slip.
Halle Berry, who remains the only Black actress to win for best actress (and will remain so even after this year, since no Black actresses were nominated in that category this year), will also present on the show. Berry won the award for her 2001 film Monster’s Ball.
Past Oscar nominees Harrison Ford and Kate Hudson were also included in the third and final batch of presenters announced on Thursday (March 9). So were Paul Dano, Cara Delevingne, Mindy Kaling, Eva Longoria, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Andie MacDowell, Elizabeth Olsen and Pedro Pascal.
Previously announced presenters are Riz Ahmed, Halle Bailey, Antonio Banderas, Elizabeth Banks, Emily Blunt, Jessica Chastain, John Cho, Glenn Close, Jennifer Connelly, Ariana DeBose, Andrew Garfield, Hugh Grant, Danai Gurira, Salma Hayek Pinault, Samuel L. Jackson, Dwayne Johnson, Michael B. Jordan, Nicole Kidman, Troy Kotsur, Jonathan Majors, Melissa McCarthy, Janelle Monáe, Deepika Padukone, Florence Pugh, Questlove, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver and Donnie Yen.
The presenters were announced by executive producers and showrunners Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner and executive producer Molly McNearney. Hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, the Oscars will air live on ABC and broadcast to outlets worldwide on Sunday, March 12, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.
The 95th Oscars will be held at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood, the show’s usual home since 2002. (The only exception was the show two years ago, near the height of the pandemic. That one was held at Union Station In Los Angeles.)
The Oscars, which held their first awards ceremony at the stately Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in 1929 and their first TV broadcast in 1953, are meeting the digital age head-on: Producers of the 2023 Oscars telecast, which airs on Sunday, March 12, will put up QR codes at the end of most “acts” of the show, heading into commercial breaks, inviting viewers to learn more about a particular craft.
And they plan to address the incident that dominated, and in many ways derailed, last year’s show – the stunning moment when Will Smith slapped presenter Chris Rock after Rock told a joke about Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith.
Those were two of the news breaks that came out of a Zoom call held on Wednesday, March 8 in which eight key members of the creative team met with entertainment journalists. The biggest news that came out the session is that Lady Gaga will not be performing her Oscar-nominated “Hold My Hand” from Top Gun: Maverick on the telecast because she’s busy making a movie, Joker: Folie a Deux, in which she’s playing Harley Quinn opposite Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker.
The Oscar team understood her decision. “She is in the middle of shooting a movie right now, and here we are honoring the movie industry and what it takes to make a movie,” Glenn Weiss, one of the show’s executive producers and showrunners, said on the call. “After a bunch of back and forth, it didn’t feel like she can get a performance to the caliber that we’re used to with her, that she’s used to. So she is not going to perform on the show. However, this is all from our point of view of somebody making a movie and us completely understanding that that’s what’s a priority in this business, especially when we’re honoring movies.”
Oscar show production talent who participated in the Zoom call were Weiss and Ricky Kirshner, executive producers and showrunners; Molly McNearney, executive producer; Sarah Levine Hall, producer; Rickey Minor, musical director; and Dave Boone, Agathe Panaretos and Nefetari Spencer, writers. The session was moderated by Jacqueline Coley, awards editor for Rotten Tomatoes.
McNearney is not only executive producer of the 2023 Oscars, she is also executive producer of Jimmy Kimmel Live! and, since 2012, the wife of the host of both shows, Jimmy Kimmel.
Here are eight selected highlights of the conversation:
On Acknowledging ‘The Slap’
Molly McNearney: “We’re going to acknowledge it, and then we’re going to move on, because I think that’s probably what everyone wants, especially in that room. We don’t want to make this year about last year. But, yeah, it’s certainly something that we can and will address in a comedic fashion.”
On Bringing QR Codes to the Oscars
Ricky Kirshner: “At the end of most of our acts, we’re going to put up a QR code and let you go see the nominees that are going to come up. So, like, at the end of one of the acts, we will say: “To learn more about the cinematography nominees, scan the QR code on your screen,” and we will take you to a two‑ or three‑minute package to really humanize those people. You’ll meet all the nominees in that category and really give yourself a rooting interest for not only the film you might like, but the people you might like and learn a little bit more about what they do and who they are.”
Glenn Weiss: “It’s allowing us not just to be a television show, but us to cross platforms and invite people to watch the show and, also, take in content, you know, digitally as well. It’s really important for us that people who are watching the show are invested. And the more they know about the nominees, for example, the more they might have rooting interest for who’s going to win. And in that case, it makes it more must‑see, so to speak.”
On Finding the Right Tone
Molly McNearney: “We don’t ‑‑ we’re not going to make anyone mad in the room. We’re trying to book those people on Monday [on Jimmy Kimmel Live!]. So we’re not here to insult. We’re here to help celebrate. We’re here to lift them up. It’s a big night. We’ll obviously have a lot of laughs, but not so much at people’s expense. You know, we might take a jab here or there, but we really want people to have fun and feel good because they should.
Dave Boone: “Yeah. At the end of the day, it’s not a roast, it’s a celebration.”
On Overseeing Music on the Show
Rickey Minor: “We’re looking into making sure that this is 95 years of great music. And so diving through that, it’s a treasure trove. I mean, it’s hard to make a commitment to which things that we’re going to do. So we have a lot of material to choose from. …It’s about pacing the music where it’s not all dramatic play‑ons or very, you know, emotional, but things with tempo, things with ‑‑ stylistically from different continents around the world. And so, musically, it’s a celebration of film. And it’s ‑‑ because we’re here in Hollywood doesn’t mean that this is where it only happens. It happens all around the world for many years. And so, we’re going to celebrate that.”
Ricky Kirshner: “We will have our orchestra on stage, and they’ll be featured a lot in the show this year. I know people like to see them. And obviously, Rickey likes his time on TV.”
Rickey Minor (playing along): “Yeah, it’s in the contract.”
On Juggling Jimmy Fallon Live! and The Oscars
Molly McNearney: “It was a lot of work doing [both shows] at one time. We’re dark now, this week, which is nice. So we can just focus on Oscars. But I will say there is definitely a greater sense of pride for a writer getting a joke on the Oscars than on Jimmy Kimmel Live! And I think it’s a much bigger audience, and these jokes are being quoted in the press the next day, and they ‑‑ everyone wants their hand on one of those moments. But it’s a very collaborative ‑‑ it gets really exciting in the room when someone says a joke and someone else makes it better. And I think that goes for the teamwork of the show too. Like, we’re all here to help each other look better.”
Glenn Weiss: “This has been ‑‑ I have done award shows for a very long time with very many hosts. This has been such a multi‑month collaboration with both Jimmy, Molly, and the rest of the staff. But, honestly, I’ve never seen a host as engaged, and it’s been a really, really great experience. Jimmy loves movies … and everything that has gone back and forth between, you know, the folks at Kimmel and folks at the Oscars, it has been a really great build and a great experience that has gone on for months. It’s not just, “We’re dark week of.” … You guys are putting in so much more than that.”
On What’s Keeping Them Up at Night
Molly McNearney: “Honestly, keeping us up at night in my house right now is just deciding which jokes are going to make it and which aren’t. Because, again, we have a lot of great writers and a lot of great material. And it’s a real science and the rhythm of the monolog and figuring out where to take the audience. And I would say that’s keeping us up at night. Thankfully, we’re in the world’s best hands with this team.”
Glenn Weiss: “I think the only thing keeping me up at night are text messages, goddamn text messages in the middle of the night. Molly and Jimmy are in the bathroom brushing their teeth, and then my phone buzzes, and then Bill [Academy CEO Bill Kramer] buzzes me, and then Ricky buzzes me. So if you guys stop texting at night, I would get sleep and the show would be great.”
Molly McNearney: “That’s when we come up with our ideas, okay? Right when you’re sleeping.”
On Whether They’re Concerned About Ratings
Glenn Weiss: “I will say there’s always concerns. But at the end of the day, I think what we have to do is keep going forward and make this as great and entertaining and respectful and reverent a show as we possibly can. You know, this entire business is going through a little bit of a transition. That said, our objective is to do our jobs well and to give you a really great show to watch. We can only hope the ratings go in the direction that we want them to, but we are just ‑‑ we’re committed to making this something that will be appreciated by everybody viewing it.”
Some Parting Words of Advice
Glenn Weiss: “You will not want to miss the top.”
Ricky Kirshner: “An opening you don’t want to miss.”
Lady Gaga will not perform at the 2023 Oscars on Sunday, Glenn Weiss — one of the show’s executive producers and showrunners — said in a Zoom call with entertainment journalists on Wednesday (March 8).
Weiss explained that Gaga is busy making a movie and felt that she couldn’t give a performance the time and commitment it would need to meet her expectations. Gaga is nominated for best original song with “Hold My Hand” from Top Gun: Maverick.
“We invited all five nominees,” Weiss said on the Zoom. “We have a great relationship with Lady Gaga and her camp. She is in the middle of shooting a movie right now. Here, we are honoring the movie industry and what it takes to make a movie after a bunch of back and forth…It didn’t feel like she can get a performance to the caliber that we’re used to with her and that she is used to. So, she is not going to perform on the show.”
As a result, this will be the second Oscar telecast in a row in which one of the five nominated songs was not performed on the show. Last year, Van Morrison declined to perform “Down to Joy” from Belfast.
Gaga is in the midst of filming director Todd Phillips’ Joker: Folie à Deux. She is playing Harley Quinn opposite Joaquin Phoenix, who won an Oscar for best actor for playing the title character in The Joker. Warner Bros. plans to release the film Oct. 9, 2024 — five years to the day after the release of the first film.
Gaga has performed on the Oscars three times. In 2015, she performed a medley of four songs from The Sound of Music to honor that film on its 50th anniversary. In a memorable Oscar moment, Julie Andrews came out at the end of Gaga’s performance and the two stars embraced.
In 2016, Gaga sang the nominated song “Til It Happens to You” from The Hunting Ground. In 2019, she and Bradley Cooper sang “Shallow” from A Star Is Born, which went on to win the award. The staging of “Shallow” was memorable, with Gaga and Cooper stepping up from their front-row seats to take the stage.
Two weeks ago, the Academy announced that Rihanna will perform “Lift Me Up” from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The following day, they announced that actress and singer Sofia Carson, accompanied by songwriter Diane Warren, will perform “Applause” from Tell It like a Woman.
Last week, the Academy announced that Stephanie Hsu, an Oscar nominee for best supporting actress for Everything Everywhere All at Once, will join David Byrne and Son Lux to perform that film’s “This Is a Life.” They also announced that Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava will perform “Naatu Naatu” from RRR.
“Hold My Hand,” which Gaga co-wrote with BloodPop, peaked at No. 49 on the Billboard Hot 100 (in June). The song might well have reached a new peak following the Oscars. Both of Gaga’s previous Oscar-nominated songs reached new peaks following the telecast. “Shallow” shot from No. 21 to No. 1 on the Hot 100 the week following the Oscars. It had previously peaked at No. 5. “Til It Happens to You” had failed to make the Hot 100 when it was first released, but entered the chart at No. 95 following the Oscars.
Hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, the 95th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 12, at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood, and will be televised live on ABC and in more than 200 territories worldwide.
Oscar show production talent who participated in the Zoom call were Weiss and Ricky Kirshner, executive producers and showrunners; Molly McNearney, executive producer; Sarah Levine Hall, producer; Rickey Minor, musical director; and Dave Boone, Agathe Panaretos and Nefetari Spencer, writers. The session was moderated by Jacqueline Coley.
Lainey Wilson leads the charge in the newly released slate of nominees for the upcoming fan-voted CMT Music Awards, which will air live on CBS on Sunday, April 2, from Moody Center in Austin, Texas. This marks the first time that the CMT Music Awards have been held in Austin, after being held in Nashville for decades.
The awards show, which will be led by co-hosts Kelsea Ballerini and Kane Brown, will also be available to stream live and on demand via Paramount+.
Wilson has four nominations, including video of the year (for “Wait in the Truck” with HARDY), female video of the year (“Heart Like a Truck”), collaborative video of the year (“Wait in the Truck” with HARDY) and CMT performance of the year (for “Never Say Never” with Cole Swindell, from the 2022 CMT Music Awards). Cody Johnson, Brown and first-time nominee Jelly Roll follow with three nominations each.
Sixteen acts are vying for video of the year, including Carrie Underwood, who is the most-awarded artist in CMT history, with 25 wins. Underwood is also slated to perform during the event. Others competing for the video of the year award are Ashley McBryde with Caylee Hammack, Brandy Clark + Pillbox Patti, Blake Shelton, Cody Johnson, Elle King + Dierks Bentley, Gabby Barrett, HARDY + Wilson, Jimmie Allen, Keith Urban, Little Big Town, Luke Bryan, Luke Combs, Morgan Wallen, Walker Hayes, Ballerini and Kane Brown with wife Katelyn.
The top six nominees for video of the year, determined by the first round of voting, will be announced March 27. The final three nominees, determined by a second round of voting, will be announced day of show. Final voting will be determined via social media and announced as the final category during the live show.
This year, CMT expands its breakthrough video of the year category into male and female groups, recognizing 12 nominees across the two categories. This year’s breakthrough female nominees are Avery Anna, Kylie Morgan, MacKenzie Porter, Megan Moroney, Morgan Wade and Tiera Kennedy. The breakthrough male nominees are Bailey Zimmerman, Corey Kent, Drake Milligan, Jackson Dean, Jelly Roll and Nate Smith. This runs counter to the recent trend of awards shows such as the Grammys, the Brit Awards and the Spirit Awards with gender-neutral awards categories.
Across all categories, CMT is recognizing nearly 2 dozen first-time nominees, including Avery Anna, Bailey Zimmerman, Charley Crockett, Corey Kent, Drake Milligan, Jackson Dean, Jelly Roll, Katelyn Brown, Kylie Morgan, Lukas Nelson, Megan Moroney, Morgan Wade, Nate Smith, Pillbox Patti, The War and Treaty and Tiera Kennedy.
Voting for the 2023 CMT Music Awards is open at vote.cmt.com.
Here’s the full list of nominees for the CMT Music Awards:
Video of the year
Ashley McBryde, Caylee Hammack, Brandy Clark & Pillbox Patti – “Bonfire At Tina’s”Blake Shelton – “No Body”Carrie Underwood – “Hate My Heart”Cody Johnson – “Human”Elle King feat. Dierks Bentley – “Worth A Shot”Gabby Barrett – “Pick Me Up”HARDY feat. Lainey Wilson – “wait in the truck”Jimmie Allen – “Down Home”Kane Brown & Katelyn Brown – “Thank God”Keith Urban – “Wild Hearts”Kelsea Ballerini – “HEARTFIRST”Little Big Town – “Rich Man”Luke Bryan – “Country On”Luke Combs – “The Kind Of Love We Make”Morgan Wallen – “You Proof”Walker Hayes – “AA”
Female video of the year
Carly Pearce – “What He Didn’t Do”Carrie Underwood – “Ghost Story”Gabby Barrett – “Pick Me Up”Kelsea Ballerini – “HEARTFIRST”Lainey Wilson – “Heart Like A Truck”Maren Morris – “Humble Quest”Miranda Lambert – “Actin’ Up”
Male video of the year
Bailey Zimmerman – “Rock and A Hard Place”Cody Johnson – “Human”Cole Swindell – “She Had Me At Heads Carolina”Jelly Roll – “Son Of A Sinner”Kane Brown – “Like I Love Country Music”Luke Combs – “The Kind Of Love We Make”Morgan Wallen – “Wasted On You”
Group/duo video of the year
Dan + Shay – “You (Performance Video)”Lady A – “Summer State Of Mind”Little Big Town – “Hell Yeah”Parmalee – “Take My Name”The War And Treaty – “That’s How Love Is Made”Zac Brown Band – “Out In The Middle”
Breakthrough female video of the year
Avery Anna – “Narcissist”Kylie Morgan – “If He Wanted To He Would”MacKenzie Porter – “Pickup”Megan Moroney – “Tennessee Orange”Morgan Wade – “Wilder Days”Tiera Kennedy – “Found It In You”
Breakthrough male video of the year
Bailey Zimmerman – “Fall In Love”Corey Kent – “Wild as Her”Drake Milligan – “Sounds Like Something I’d Do”Jackson Dean – “Don’t Come Lookin’”Jelly Roll – “Son Of A Sinner”Nate Smith – “Whiskey On You”
Collaborative video of the year
Elle King feat. Dierks Bentley – “Worth A Shot”HARDY feat. Lainey Wilson – “wait in the truck”Ingrid Andress with Sam Hunt – “Wishful Drinking”Kane Brown & Katelyn Brown – “Thank God”Midland feat. Jon Pardi – “Longneck Way To Go”Russell Dickerson feat. Jake Scott – “She Likes It”Thomas Rhett & Katy Perry – “Where We Started”
CMT performance of the year
Black Pumas & Mickey Guyton – “Colors” (from 2022 CMT Music Awards)Chris Stapleton – “Whenever You Come Around” (from CMT Giants: Vince Gill)Cody Johnson – “‘Til You Can’t” (from 2022 CMT Music Awards)Cole Swindell & Lainey Wilson – “Never Say Never” (from 2022 CMT Music Awards)Darius Rucker – “Let Her Cry” (from CMT Storytellers)Emmy Russell & Lukas Nelson – “Lay Me Down” (from Coal Miner’s Daughter: A Celebration of the Life & Music of Loretta Lynn)Keith Urban – “Wild Hearts” (from 2022 CMT Music Awards)LeAnn Rimes with Ashley McBryde & Carly Pearce – “One Way Ticket” (from CMT Crossroads: LeAnn Rimes & Friends)The Judds – “Love Can Build A Bridge” (from 2022 CMT Music Awards)Wynonna Judd & Brandi Carlile – “The Rose” (from Naomi Judd: A River of Time Celebration)
CMT digital-first performance of the year
Charley Crockett – “Time of the Cottonwood Trees“ (from CMT Campfire Sessions)Chris Young – “Gettin’ You Home” (from CMT Stages)Ingrid Andress – “Wishful Drinking” (from CMT Studio Sessions)Jelly Roll – “Son of A Sinner” (from CMT All Access)Megan Moroney – “Tennessee Orange” (from CMT Viral To Verified)Scotty McCreery – “Damn Strait” (from CMT Campfire Sessions)
It’s been almost a year since the slap heard around the world, when Will Smith stormed the stage at the Oscars on March 27, 2022, to smack Chris Rock across the face on live television.
The tense moment occurred after Rock made an onstage joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, during the Academy Awards ceremony. “Jada, I love you. G.I Jane 2, can’t wait to see it,” the comedian said about her shaved head — which, unbeknownst to Rock, is caused by the actress’ struggles with alopecia.
Pinkett Smith rolled her eyes in response, while Smith laughed. Shortly after, the King Richard actor ran up on stage to slap Rock, who attempted to continue his banter before Smith began shouting from his seat, “Keep my wife’s name out your f—ing mouth.”
In the year since then, Smith has issued a number of apologies, others who were present at the situation have spoken up about what went down and Chris Rock has make jokes about the incident throughout his comedy specials.
With the 2023 Oscars on the way, see below for a timeline of everything that has gone down between Smith and Rock since the slap.
March 27, 2022: Will Smith’s Acceptance Speech
Shortly after the incident, Smith won the best actor award for his portrayal of Venus and Serena Williams’ dad Richard Williams in King Richard.
“Richard Williams was a fierce defender of his family,” Smith said during his acceptance speech, seeming to allude to the viral moment. He then mentioned some of his King Richard costars. “In this time in my life, in this moment, I am overwhelmed by what God is calling on me to do and be in this world. Making this film, I got to protect Aunganue Ellis, who is one of the most strongest, most delicate people I’ve ever met. I got to protect Saniyya [Sidney] and Demi [Singleton], the two actresses who play Venus and Serena. I’m being called on in my life to love people and to protect people and to be a river to my people.”
“Now I know to do what we do, you gotta be able to take abuse. You gotta be able to have people talk crazy about you. In this business you have to be able to have people disrespecting you. And you gotta smile and pretend that’s OK,” he continued, becoming increasingly emotional, tears welling up in his eyes. “Denzel [Washington] said to me a few minutes ago, he said, ‘At your highest moment, that’s when the devil comes for you.’”
Smith then delivered his mea culpa, though without mentioning Rock. “I want to apologize to the Academy, I want to apologize to my fellow nominees,” he said, continuing to tear up. “This is a beautiful moment and I’m not crying for winning an award. It’s not about winning an award for me. It’s about being able to shine a light on all of the people … Art imitates life. I look like the crazy father just like they said … just like they said about Richard Williams. Love will make you do crazy things.”
March 28, 2022: Chris Rock Declines to Press Charges
“LAPD investigative entities are aware of an incident between two individuals during the Academy Awards program,” the department said in a statement, NBC reported. “The incident involved one individual slapping another. The individual involved has declined to file a police report. If the involved party desires a police report at a later date, LAPD will be available to complete an investigative report.”
NBC News reported that spokespeople for Rock did not return requests for comment, and that senior sources at the LAPD said officers typically don’t take action in this kind of suspected misdemeanor battery investigation unless the victim wants to press charges or help fill out an incident report.
March 28, 2022: The Academy Releases Statement, Opens Formal Review
“The Academy does not condone violence of any form,” the organization tweeted. “Tonight we are delighted to celebrate our 94th Academy Awards winners, who deserve this moment of recognition from their peers and movie lovers around the world.”
The Academy does not condone violence of any form.Tonight we are delighted to celebrate our 94th Academy Awards winners, who deserve this moment of recognition from their peers and movie lovers around the world.— The Academy (@TheAcademy) March 28, 2022https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Later, in a statement to Billboard, the organization shared, “The Academy condemns the actions of Mr. Smith at last night’s show. We have officially started a formal review around the incident and will explore further action and consequences in accordance with our Bylaws, Standards of Conduct and California law.”
March 28, 2022: Will Smith Issues an Apology
Smith shared a statement via Instagram, apologizing for his actions. “Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive. My behavior at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable. Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada’s medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally,” Smith wrote in a lengthy message. “I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness.”
He continued, “I would also like to apologize to the Academy, the producers of the show, all the attendees and everyone watching around the world. I would like to apologize to the Williams Family and my King Richard Family. I deeply regret that my behavior has stained what has been an otherwise gorgeous journey for all of us. I am a work in progress.”
See his post here.
March 29, 2022: Jada Pinkett Smith Calls For ‘Season For Healing’
Jada Pinkett Smith posted her own Instagram message amid the drama, declaring that “this is a season for healing.”
“And I’m here for it,” Pinkett Smith added in the post, which made no direct reference to the incident. See her post here.
March 29, 2022: Will Smith’s Mom Weighs In
Smith’s mother, Caroline Bright, shared her thoughts on the slap in an interview with Philadelphia’s ABC affiliate 6abc, calling the experience a “first” for her. “[Will] is a very even, people person. That’s the first time I’ve ever seen him go off. First time in his lifetime … I’ve never seen him do that,” she said.
March 30, 2022: Chris Rock Breaks His Silence
The comedian spoke out publicly about the incident for the first time during his stand-up show in Boston. “How was your weekend?” he asked the crowd, who began laughing, as reported by Variety. “I don’t have a bunch of sh– about what happened, so if you came to hear that, I have a whole show I wrote before this weekend. I’m still kind of processing what happened. So at some point, I’ll talk about that sh–. And it will be serious and funny.”
The audience then broke into a chant, shouting “F— Will Smith,” which can be heard in the audio Variety posted on Instagram here.
April 1, 2022: Will Smith Resigns From The Academy
In a statement obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, Smith said he was heartbroken and would accept all consequences for his conduct.
“My actions at the 94th Academy Awards presentation were shocking, painful, and inexcusable. The list of those I have hurt is long and includes Chris, his family, many of my dear friends and loved ones, all those in attendance, and global audiences at home,” Smith said in the statement. “I betrayed the trust of the Academy. I deprived other nominees and winners of their opportunity to celebrate and be celebrated for their extraordinary work. I am heartbroken. I want to put the focus back on those who deserve attention for their achievements and allow the Academy to get back to the incredible work it does to support creativity and artistry in film.”
Smith’s resignation means he can no longer vote for the Oscars — but he can still be nominated for future Academy Awards, attend future ceremonies and keep the statue he won.
“We have received and accepted Mr. Will Smith’s immediate resignation from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences,” the Academy said in a statement. “We will continue to move forward with our disciplinary proceedings against Mr. Smith for violations of the Academy’s Standards of Conduct, in advance of our next scheduled board meeting on April 18.”
April 3, 2022: ‘SNL’ Reenacts the Incident
In a later sketch in the episode, Jarrod Carmichael and Chris Redd poked fun at the slap. “Seat filler” Carmichael went up to Redd’s Smith, telling him he was such a fan of his and asked him for a selfie. In the background, voiceover can be heard of Rock’s G.I. Jane joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, who has a shaved head and has been open about her struggle with alopecia.
“I don’t wanna sound corny, but you’re like my hero, man,” Carmichael told Redd’s Smith. “This is the coolest man in my life. I’m talking to Will Smith. Chris Rock just got up onstage.”
Redd’s Smith told Carmichael he’d be right back and went onstage to slap Rock, returning to his seat shortly after as if nothing was wrong.
“I like your tux, by the way,” Redd told Carmichael. “Look good, feel good,” he continued before turning his attention to the stage and shouting, “Keep my wife’s name out your f—ing mouth,” like Smith yelled at Rock at the Oscars on Sunday.
Watch it here.
April 4, 2022: Chris Rock’s Brother Kenny Weighs In
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Kenny shared that he thinks Smith’s apology was nothing more than a PR move. “No, I don’t accept it because I don’t think it was genuine,” he said. “I think his publicist and the people that work under him probably advised him to do that.” (Another of Rock’s other brothers, Tony, also said he does not accept Smith’s apology and said the entire fiasco was “foul.”)
He continued, “I might have looked at it differently had he initially apologized when he got on the stage and cried and accepted the award, but he didn’t, so, right there that tells me that it is something else.”
As for Smith remaining in the ceremony after slapping Rock, and later accepting the best actor award for his role in King Richard? Kenny (as well as other celebrities in attendance) believes that was a misstep on the Academy’s part.
“He should have been escorted out of there,” he said. “I hold them accountable for that. He could have went up there and did anything you wanted to my brother. It could have been much worse than what he did.” Kenny added that Smith “belittled my brother. He had no respect for him. … In my opinion, he embarrassed himself by doing that and his legacy by doing that.”
April 8, 2022: Will Smith Banned From Attending Any Academy Events for 10 Years
Smith will not be permitted to attend any Academy events or programs for the next 10 years in the wake of his conduct. That means Smith will not be allowed to present the award to 2023’s best actress winner, a time-honored tradition at the Oscars.
Academy president David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson released an “open letter to our Academy family” about their decision, which you can read in full here.
April 23, 2022: Chris Rock’s Mom Speaks Out
Rose Rock, an author and motivational speaker, told WIS that the comedian is doing well but “still processing” the incident that led Smith to resign from the Academy. “I told someone, when Will slapped Chris, he slapped all of us, but he really slapped me,” she said. “When you hurt my child, you hurt me.”
When asked what she would say to Smith, Rose shared, “I have no idea what I would say other than, ‘What in the world were you thinking?’ Because you did a slap, but so many things could have happened. Chris could have stepped back and fallen. You really could have gotten taken out in handcuffs. You didn’t think. You reacted to your wife giving you the side-eye, and you went up, and you made her day because she was bowled over laughing when it happened.”
She added that she didn’t think the apology Smith posted to his Instagram account on the day after the ceremony felt genuine. “I feel really bad that he never apologized,” Rock said. “His people wrote up a piece and said, ‘I apologize to Chris Rock,’ but something like that is personal. You reach out.”
June 1, 2022: Jada Pinkett Smith Breaks Silence
On an episode of her Red Table Talk series, Pinkett Smith said, “My deepest hope is that these two intelligent, capable men have an opportunity to heal, talk this out and reconcile.”
She added, “the state of the world today, we need ’em both. And we all actually need one another more than ever. Until then, Will and I are continuing to do what we have done for the last 28 years, and that’s keep figuring out this thing called life together.”
Watch the full episode here.
July 28, 2022: Chris Rock Addresses Will Smith Slap During Stand-Up Show
On his Rock Hart Only Headliners Allowed tour stop with Kevin Hart at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, New Jersey, Rock reportedly made one of the most specific references to date addressing his feelings surrounding the slap.
“Anyone who says words hurt has never been punched in the face,” Rock, 57, said during his set, according to US Weekly, citing an unnamed eyewitness to the set. Rock also reportedly later referred to Smith — who has kept a low-to-no profile since the incident — as “Suge Smith,” seemingly a reference to the disgraced, currently imprisoned former Death Row Records CEO and strongman Marion “Suge” Knight.
“I’m not a victim, motherf–ker,” he added, saying he “shook that s–t off and returned to work.” Now, don’t get him wrong, Rock said, “yeah, that s–t hurt, motherf–ker. But I shook that s–t off and went to work the next day… I don’t go to the hospital for a papercut.”
July 29, 2022: Will Smith Issues Video Apology
Smith returned from his social media break with a video titled “it’s been a minute” to his YouTube page, answering questions regarding the Oscars incident and issue another apology to Rock, as well as Rock’s family.
While answering the question of why he did not take the opportunity to apologize for the slap during his acceptance speech after winning best actor, Smith said he was not in a clear state of mind. “I was fogged out by that point. It is all fuzzy. I’ve reached out to Chris and the message that came back is that, he’s not ready to talk. When he is, he will reach out. I will say to you, Chris, I apologize to you. My behavior was unacceptable and I am here whenever you are ready to talk,” he said.
Smith continued, “I want to apologize to Chris’s mother. I saw an interview [she] did, and that was one of the things I just didn’t realize. I wasn’t thinking, but how many people got hurt in that moment. I want to apologize to Chris’ mother, I want to apologize to Chris’s family, specifically Tony Rock. We had a great relationship. Tony Rock was my man. This is probably irreparable. I spent the last three months replaying and understanding the nuance and complexity of what happened in that moment. I’m not going to try to unpack all of that right now, but I can say to all of you, there is no part of me that thinks that was the right way to behave in that moment. No part of me that thinks that is the optimal way to handle a feeling of disrespect or insult.”
Watch the video here.
July 29, 2022: Will Smith Reflects on ‘Horrific Night’ of Oscars Slap
During an appearance on The Daily Show With Trevor Noah this week, Smith called the situation a “horrific night.”
While he added that there were “nuances and complexities” to the moment, he “lost it” during the ceremony. “And I guess what I would say, you just never know what somebody is going through,” he continued. “I was going through something that night. Not that that justifies my behavior at all.”
Smith noted that there “was a rage that had been bottled for a really long time,” and that the most painful part of it all was that “I took my hard and made it hard for other people. I understood the idea where they say that hurt people hurt people.” Noah then pointed out how in Smith’s memoir, the actor shared that he grew up being afraid of conflict.
“It was a lot of things,” Smith said in response. “It was the little boy that watched his father beat up his mother, you know. All of that just bubbled up in that moment. That’s not who I want to be.”
Watch the interview here.
February 14, 2023: Academy President Reflects on Response to the Slap
Academy President Janet Yang reiterated during the 2023 Oscars Nominees Luncheon that the organization’s response to the 2022 ceremony was “inadequate” and that “we must act swiftly, compassionately and decisively” on similar issues in the future.
“As I’m sure you all remember we experienced an unprecedented event at the Oscars,” Yang said. “What happened on stage was wholly unacceptable and the response from the organization was inadequate. We learned from this that the Academy must be fully transparent and accountable in our actions and particularly in times of crisis.”
“We must act swiftly, compassionately and decisively for ourselves and for our industry. You should and can expect no less from us going forward,” she added. “We are committed to maintaining the highest of standards while creating the changes we wish to see in our industry.”
March 5, 2023: Chris Rock Slams Will Smith in Netflix Comedy Special
During Netflix’s first live special Chris Rock: Selective Outrage!, the comedian finally addressed the smackdown at length — and didn’t hold back, Smith’s marital issues (in which Pinkett Smith acknowledged a relationship with singer August Alsina).
“Will Smith practices selective outrage,” Rock told the audience. “Outrage because everybody knows what the f— happened. Everybody that really knows, knows that I have nothing to do with that s—. I didn’t have any entanglements.”
He continued, “His wife was f—ing her son’s friend. OK, now, I normally would not talk about this s—, but for some reason, these n—-s put that s— on the internet. I have no idea why two talented people would do something that lowdown. What the f—? And we’ve all been cheated on. Everybody in here has been cheated on. None of us have ever been interviewed by the person that cheated on us on television.”
“She hurt him way more than he hurt me. Everybody in the world called him a b—-. I tried to call the motherf—er, I tried to call that man and give him my condolences, he didn’t pick up for me.” He continued by listing all the people who called Smith a “b—-” after that interview on Red Table Talk, including Charlamagne Tha God and The View. “Everybody called him a b—-, and who did he hit? Me — a n—a he knows he could beat. That is some b—- ass shit.”
Toward the end of the special, Rock admitted, “I loved Will Smith. My whole life, I loved Will Smith. I saw him open up for Run-D.M.C. … He makes great movies. I have rooted for Will Smith my whole life,” Rock said. “And now I watch Emancipation just to see him get whooped.”
Rock used the last minute of Selective Outrage to answer why he didn’t do anything back. “‘Cause I got parents,” Rock said. “‘Cause I was raised. And you know what my parents taught me? Don’t fight in front of white people.”
Gospel music luminaries David and Tamela Mann, as well as Dr. Bobby Jones will be honored during the upcoming 22nd annual Trailblazers of Gospel Music Awards on March 30.
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The event, to be held at Flourish Atlanta, will be hosted by BMI president/CEO Mike O’Neill and BMI vice president, Creative Catherine Brewton.
“BMI is thrilled to be back in Atlanta celebrating the best in Gospel music,” said Brewton via a statement. “We’re extremely proud to honor powerhouse couple Tamela and David Mann for their incredible contributions to the Gospel community, the enduring legacy of Dr. Bobby Jones and the songwriters and publishers behind the top Gospel songs of the previous year. Through song and praise, they deliver inspirational messages of hope, faith and goodwill to music lovers around the world. We feel truly blessed to bring these trailblazers together in fellowship and celebrate their creative works.”
In the 1990s, Tamela and David toured the world as part of the gospel group Kirk Franklin and the Family, before launching solo careers and joint ventures, creating Tillymann Entertainment in 2005 as a base for their various entertainment projects. In 2018, they released Us Against the World, their first collaborative album as a duo. A companion book to the album earned the couple a NAACP Image Award for outstanding literary work, while the album launched the hit “Ups & Downs.” The Manns also launched the Overcomer Family Tour, with their son David Jr. and their daughters La’Tia and Tiffany.
Beyond music, the Manns have appeared in several Tyler Perry plays, films and movies, and starred in their own sitcom, Mann & Wife, and the docuseries It’s a Mann’s World. As a solo artist, Tamela has issued six studio albums and earned a Grammy, BET Award, Billboard Music Award and multiple NAACP, GMA Dove and Stellar Gospel Music awards.
Singer, television host and radio broadcaster Jones will be honored for his more than four decades in entertainment. For more than 35 years, he served as the host of Bobby Jones Gospel on BET, and is credited with giving artists including Yolanda Adams, Kirk Franklin and Mary Mary their first national television exposure. In 1984, Jones earned a Grammy for best soul gospel performance by a duo or group for “I’m So Glad I’m Standing Here Today” with Barbara Mandrell. He has also received recognition from the GMA Dove Awards, and the Stellar Awards, and was inducted into the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame earlier this year.
Throughout the ceremony, BMI will also recognize the songwriters, producers and music publishers of the past year’s 25 most performed gospel songs in the United States. The BMI gospel song, songwriter and publisher of the year will also be named during the event.
Halle Bailey, who stars as Ariel in Disney’s upcoming live-action remake of The Little Mermaid, will present on the 2023 Oscars on Sunday, March 12.
The Little Mermaid, which was directed by Rob Marshall and produced by Marshall, John DeLuca, Marc Platt and Lin-Manuel Miranda, is due May 26. Melissa McCarthy, who appears in the film as the treacherous sea witch Ursula, was already announced as an Oscars presenter.
Jessica Chastain, who won an Oscar for best actress last year for her lead role in The Eyes of Tammy Faye, will also present. Ariana DeBose and Troy Kotsur, last year’s Oscar winners in supporting roles, were already announced as presenters. Last year’s best actor winner, Will Smith, was barred from attending any Academy events for 10 years after slapping Chris Rock on last year’s show.
Andrew Garfield, a two-time best actor nominee who presented the life achievement award to Sally Field on the Screen Actors Guild Awards on Feb. 26, will also present, along with fellow former Oscar nominees Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek Pinault, Nicole Kidman, Florence Pugh and Sigourney Weaver.
Elizabeth Banks, John Cho, Hugh Grant and Danai Gurira are also set to present.
They join previously announced presenters Riz Ahmed, Emily Blunt, Glenn Close, Jennifer Connelly, Samuel L. Jackson, Dwayne Johnson, Michael B. Jordan, Jonathan Majors, Janelle Monáe, Deepika Padukone, Questlove, Zoe Saldaña and Donnie Yen.
The latest announcement was made on Tuesday (March 7) by executive producers and showrunners Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner and executive producer Molly McNearney. The producers will continue to announce talent joining the show in the run-up to the ceremony.
The producers have announced performances from four of the five nominees for best original song. The only one they haven’t yet announced is Lady Gaga performing “Hold My Hand” from Top Gun: Maverick.
Hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, the 95th Oscars will air live on ABC on Sunday, March 12, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. The show will be held at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood.