Questlove’s Grammy Joke About Will Smith’s Oscars Slap

On Grammys Sunday, Questlove made a reference to Will Smith and Chris Rock’s Oscars altercation!

Questlove was on hand to present the award for Song of the Year at the Grammys.

While onstage, he told the star-studded audience, “Alright, I am going to present this award and I trust that you people will stay 500 feet away from me," adding, "Just playing."

Referencing his first Oscar win last week, Questlove went on, "You never forget your first time, and this is now a special moment for someone and we’re gonna make a memory for them tonight.”

That same night, Questlove’s documentary “Summer of Soul” won Best Music Film.

Last Sunday, Questlove won Outstanding Documentary Feature at the Oscars, but Smith’s decision to slap Rock over a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith was all that anyone could talk about!

At the beginning of the Grammys, host Trevor Noah dropped a subtle joke about the Oscars slap during his monologue.

Noah poked fun at the incident, saying, “We’re gonna be listening to some music. We’re gonna be dancing, we’re gonna be singing. We’re gonna be keeping people’s names out of our mouths, and we’re gonna be giving out awards.”

Last Sunday, Chris was presenting Best Documentary at the Academy Awards when he made a joke about Jada, saying he was looking forward to “G.I. Jane 2.”

Pinkett Smith immediately did not look pleased, and Will walked straight onstage and smacked Chris with his open hand.

As Smith walked back to his seat, a clearly shaken Rock said, “Oh, wow — Will Smith just smacked the s—t out of me.”

Rock insisted, “It was a ‘G.I. Jane’ joke,” and Will twice yelled, “Keep my wife’s name out of your f—king mouth.”

Chris told him, “I’m going to.”

After the altercation, Trevor tweeted, “Wtaf????? That wasn’t scripted????? 😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳.”

On Monday, Smith issued a lengthy apology on Instagram, calling his behavior “unacceptable and inexcusable.” He wrote, “Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive… Jokes at my expense are part of the job, but a joke about Jada’s medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally. 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.”

Days later, Smith stepped down from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences.

In a statement, Smith called his actions “shocking, painful and inexcusable.”

He added, “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. 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.”

Will acknowledged that what he did overshadowed the show and its winners.

He said, “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.”