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English actor Benedict Cumberbatch took a dig at Will Smith in his Saturday Night Live monologue, referencing his infamous Oscar incident.
The 45-year-old actor was nominated for Best Actor at the Academy Awards for his portrayal in The Power of the Dog. However, Benedict was defeated by Will, whose achievement was overshadowed by his spat with Chris Rock.
During his monologue, Benedict Cumberbatch, who is presently featured in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, stated that he was "thrilled" to host Saturday Night Live again.
“I have to be honest, though, because most of the sketch writers pitched me sketches every day, and most were about ‘Doctor Strange’ – which is great, I love the guy, I love playing the character … but I have been in other films.”
Lorne Michaels, the executive producer of Saturday Night Live, jokingly asked Benedict Cumberbatch what other films he'd been in. To this, he said that he was in Jane Campion's The Power of the Dog.
Responding to this, Michaels said that "nobody saw it."
While describing the incident, Benedict Cumberbatch explained the response he gave to Michaels:
“Come on, man, I was nominated for an Oscar for that. I mean, I didn’t win. I was beat by Will Smith. No, not physically! Not physically!”
Benedict Cumberbatch's joke on Will Smith explained
During the 94th Academy Awards held at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles, Chris Rock was present onstage to present the award for Best Documentary when he cracked a joke on Will Smith's wife Jada Pinkett Smith's shaved head.
“Jada, I love you. GI Jane 2, can’t wait to see you."
GI Jane was a 1997 American drama film starring Demi Moore in a fictitious narrative about the first woman to complete special operations training, comparable to that of the United States Navy Seals. Moore, who was nominated for a Golden Raspberry award for Worst Actress for her portrayal, shaved her head for the film.
After Rock's joke, Pinkett Smith, who had been struggling with alopecia, was seen rolling her eyes in the audience. At that moment, Smith walked up to the stage and slapped Rock across his face.
He then returned to his seat and was seen yelling:
"Keep my wife’s name out your f***ing mouth."
After the incident, the Motion Picture Academy banned Smith from attending the Oscars or any other Academy-related event for 10 years. While Smith issued a formal apology to Chris Rock over the incident, he stated in an Instagram post that he respects the Academy board's decision.
