Jimmy Kimmel's Wife, Oscars Producer Molly McNearney, Says He Cut the 'Harder' Will Smith Jokes

etonline.com:

Jimmy Kimmel’s wife, Molly McNearney, says her husband took it easy on Will Smith at the 95th Academy Awards on Sunday.Kimmel hosted Hollywood’s biggest night at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, one year after Smith slapped Chris Rock onstage in response to Rock making a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.McNearney, an executive producer for this year's Oscars, tells  why her husband didn’t go «harder» on Smith. «We didn't want to make this year all about last year,» McNearney explains. «I cannot tell you how many Will Smith jokes we had that then we got rid of.

We think that only the best for that room made it. There were certainly some that went harder, but we didn't think that was our place to do that.

That should be Chris Rock, not us.»Still, they didn't want to ignore the incident altogether. «We really liked the idea of making fun of the reaction to it last year,» says McNearney. «I think we're all still in a bit of shock of how that went down and how after watching that violence everyone had to then sit through an acceptance speech.»Kimmel joked during his opening monologue on Sunday night, «We know this is a special night for you.

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