Lupita Nyong’o sat down with The Hollywood Reporter to talk about her career, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” and, of course, that infamous moment at the 2022 Oscars. Notably, the actor went through various emotions on camera, making her an easy focal point for viewers worldwide to relate to when Will Smith slapped Chris Rock on live television.
“Once the moment was over, I realized, ‘Oh my God, there’s no way all this transpired and I’m not in the shot,’ ” Nyong’o said. “I knew as soon as it was over that I was going to be a meme.” Well, she was right about that, as many on Twitter and other social media services used her reactions to show precisely how they felt about the moment.
“Congratulations to Lupita Nyong’o for winning best actress in a supporting role for ‘The Slap,”” tweeted @BradDia99011737. Meanwhile, @hyper254_ had the actor taunting Smith with the phrase, “Why didn’t you slap August Alsina like that?” This is a reference to a televised talk between the “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” star and Jada Pinkett Smith, which contained many intimate details of their marriage (via Buzzfeed).
However, Nyong’o was hesitant to weigh in any further on the debate surrounding the Oscars slap, closing the conversation with grace and humility. “I don’t want to add any more fuel to that thing, quite frankly,” she concluded.
