Every year the most beloved actors come together at the Dolby Theater to support one another and hopefully, leave with an Oscar. The Academy Awards, also known as the Oscars, is somewhat of an informal American holiday, where movie fanatics eagerly wait each year to see if their favorites win. The categories range from Best Makeup and Hair Styling to Best Animated Feature, ensuring that there is something for everyone. This year the Academy Awards were hosted by Regina Hall, Amy Schumer, and Wanda Sykes—who all definitely put on a show. With so many influential people coming together in one room there is always something to go wrong, and The 94th Academy Awards were no exception. 

Although many watch for the anticipation of which movie will win an Oscar, there is no denying that much of the excitement is on the red carpet. Whilst others like to keep it classy and traditional like Rami Malek in a classic black tux, others spiced it up like Timothee Chalemet who wore an embroidered, cropped, black jacket with no undershirt and Louis Vitton Pants. Kristen Stewart, who was nominated for best actress, arrived at her first ever Oscars in a blazer and shorts combination with her hair combed over. Zendaya looked absolutely outstanding in Valentino, wearing a white cropped button down collared shirt and floor length diamond skirt. 

It is always fun to see the actors strut down the runway, but the main event should not be ignored. A few of the great movies up for awards include Dune, Encanto, West Side Story, CODA, and Tick Tick Boom. Dune was one of the biggest winners, coming home with 6 Oscar’s after being nominated for 10. But the most historic moment was when CODA, a coming of age journey about deaf adults who discover their love of music, won best picture—a huge victory among the death community. The Best Supporting Actor went to CODA’s Troy Kostur who became the first deaf male actor to win an Oscar. Another notable win was when Encanto won best best animated feature, and from the hit movie, the song “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” was played live with a surprise verse by Megan The Stallion. Despite all of these exciting moments, the most talked about moment was Will Smith winning Best Actor as the Oscar is on the verge of getting revoked.

Anyone who has been on social media the past couple of days has seen the video of Will Smith slapping Chris Rock on national television. Shortly after Chris Rock came up on stage, he made a joke about how Jada Smith, Will Smith’s wife, looks like the main character in GI Jane because they both are bald. Jada Smith is struggling with alopecia, an autoimmune disease that causes hair loss, and has been very open to the world about her battle. At first, Will Smith was laughing but Jada did not look pleased, leading Will Smith to get out of his seat, go on stage, slap Chris Rock and walk away. The crowd started laughing, thinking it was staged but once Will Smith screamed, “Keep my wife’s name out of your f-ing mouth,” the mood quickly changed. 

Later, Will Smith won best actor and came forward on the verge of tears, accepting his Oscar. 

 “I want to apologize to the Academy,” said Smith during his acceptance speech. “I want to apologize to all my fellow nominees.This is a beautiful moment and I’m not crying for winning an award.” 

The next morning, the video of Will Smith slapping Chris Rock was all over the internet and people took sides over who was right. There were also numerous memes created out of the picture as well as conspiracy theories saying that it was staged. But if there’s one thing that everyone can agree on, it is that the 94th Academy Awards made history in more ways than one.