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The 2022 Oscars saw more than just red carpet moments, flashy gowns, and crisp suits. The 94th Academy Awards which occurred on March 27 at the Dolby Theater, turned out to be one of the most spectacular yet controversial nights.
While Will Smith and Chris Rock's on-stage altercation has been making headlines, the event also staged several other historical moments. From CODA's emotional and marvelous victory to Ariana DeBose's historic moment, the 2022 Oscars saw more than what was anticipated.
Hollywood's greatest night indeed kept up with its reputation as people rushed to Twitter to discuss the night's events. With stories worth weeks for media and countless memes for internet users, it cannot be denied that the night wasn't a successful one.
Here are three moments that transpired at the 94th Academy Awards that will be remembered for years to come.
Oscars 2022: 3 unforgettable moments from the night that will go down in history
1) Will Smith X Chris Rock altercation
The most surprising highlight of the 2022 Oscars was Will Smith's on-stage encounter with presenter Chris Rock. Had there been an award for the best theatrics, this incident was sure to win the title.
In a surprising turn of events, moments before winning his first ever Oscar, King Richard actor Will Smith stormed the Dolby Theater stage to confront Chris Rock. The Grown Ups star made an offensive joke about Jada Pinkett Smith's hair and everyone's favorite Men In Black actor Smith wasn't too happy about it.
Some would say Chris Rock was asking for it when he appeared on the Dolby Theatre stage to present the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature. In a range of jokes about his co-stars present in the audience, Rock intended to make his brief appearance on stage as memorable and hilarious as possible.
However, in a shocking turn of events, Will Smith stormed the stage, whacking Rock's face. It would seem Smith was rather offended by his joke about Jada Pinkett Smith's shaved head, in reference to G.I. Jane.
According to reports, Jada Pinkett Smith's shaved head is the result of alopecia, an autoimmune illness that causes hair loss. The actress has been open about her illness and has also spoken about it on several occasions.
Reportedly, Chris even initiated a discussion with the Smiths afterwards, presumably to apologize. Denzel Washington, Tyler Perry, and Bradley Cooper were spotted conversing with Will Smith during the commercial break.
Not long after his altercation with Chris, Will appeared on stage once again to accept his first ever Oscar for Best Actor for his movie King Richard.
In an emotional speech while accepting his first ever Academy Award, Smith even apologized to The Academy and the audience present there.
2) CODA's Best Picture win celebrated with a silent applause from the audience
The greatest achievement of the night was for CODA when they won the Academy Award for Best Picture. At the 94th Academy Awards, it became the first streaming service film to win an Oscar for Best Picture, making AppleTV+ the first streaming service to do so.
Not to mention, the silent applause on Hollywood's biggest night affected everyone's hearts, making the accomplishment even more precious for the CODA team.
Fans and admirers took to Twitter to express their joy at CODA's glorious victory and the silent applause that reached millions without even being heard.
The film, titled after the terminology for the children of deaf adults, became the third movie directed by a woman to win an Oscar. The award was presented by Lady Gaga and Liza Minnelli. Apart from winning the greatest award of the night, CODA also emerged victorious in the categories of Adapted Screenplay for Writer/Director Sian Heder and Supporting Actor for Troy Kotsur.
The movie is based on the 2014 French film La Famille Bélier and written and directed by Sian Heder. Emilia Jones, Kotsur, and Marlee Matlin feature in the film. It's the first time a film with a primarily deaf cast has won the Academy Award for Best Picture.
3) Ariana DeBose makes history
Ariana DeBose has seen her fair share of success in the film industry for her role in West Side Story. The 2022 award season has been a treat for the actress with her wins at the SAG Awards, Golden Globes, Critics' Choice, BAFTA Awards and now, an Oscar for her role as a supporting actress in the aforementioned movie.
On March 27, the actress made history at the 94th Academy Awards to become the first Afro-Latina, openly queer actor of color to win an Oscar.
For her role as Anita in Steven Spielberg's adaptation of West Side Story, the rising sensation beat Judi Dench, Kirsten Dunst, Jessie Buckley, and Aunjanue Ellis to take the trophy home while also making history numerous times in the process.
Reports state that BeDose became the second actress to win an Oscar for her performance as Anita. Rita Moreno won the award for her role as Anita in the 1961 film adaptation of the famous musical.
Sixty years ago, Rita Moreno won an Oscar for her role as Anita in the original West Side Story. On March 27, actress Ariana DeBose took the same role to newer heights by creating history as the first Afro-Latina openly queer actor of color to win an Oscar.
DeBose's accomplishment is more than just a nod to her performance in the musical; it's a turning point for the Latina and LGBTQ+ communities. Her victory is one of the first for an openly queer woman of color to win an Academy Award, as well as the first for two actresses to win for portraying the same character in two distinct movies created years apart.
She also got emotional while highlighting her experiences as a queer Afro-Latina working in the film industry and achieving her artistic goals.
Like every other year, the 2022 Oscars turned out to be nearly perfect (except for the few mishaps that did add to the event's charm in one way or another.)
While many favorites got snubbed, the best of the best emerged victorious. However, these unforgettable moments will go down in history as they have already become the most heated talks on the internet. Fans are already looking forward to next year's event in hopes of witnessing drama spicier than this one.
