Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeVariety’s Clayton Davis has seen a lot of things. But nothing prepared him for being in the audience at Sunday’s Oscars, and witnessing Will Smith leap on stage and smack Chris Rock — and the awkward aftermath inside the Dolby Theater.“It’s the most uncomfortable I’ve ever been in my life,” Davis says on this week’s special Oscars Recap edition of the Variety Awards Circuit Podcast. “And I grew up in the Bronx, where fights happen all the time!
I was squirming in my chair, like, I couldn’t function. I couldn’t pay attention to anything. And then it was all pins and needles until Will won.”Davis joined Awards Circuit Podcast hosts Jenelle Riley, Jazz Tangcay and Michael Schneider for a mega edition of their weekly roundtable segment — and obviously there was plenty to chew on.
The group talks about the fallout from the Slap, the industry reaction, and what’s next. Oh, and they also get around to actually discussing the winners and losers on stage, including the historic best picture win for “CODA.” Listen below! “For my first Oscar ceremony, I went to some Academy people and said, Listen, this is my first Oscars.
I like to thank you for making this obviously the most memorable one that I could ever have,” Davis quips. The roundtable recounts the moment as it happened, and the confusion at first: Was this a bit? “I watched it like 10 times,” Riley says.
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