Malala Yousafzai Had a Perfect Reply When Asked If Harry Styles Spit on Chris Pine

Before she even turned 18, Malala Yousafzai had become one of the leading advocates for women’s education in Pakistan; she survived a Taliban murder attempt; and won a Nobel Peace Prize. She’s one of the most heroic, inspirational and impactful humans on the planet.

So, of course, at the 2023 Oscars, host Jimmy Kimmel had to force her to weigh in on one of last year’s stupidest nontroversies: Did Harry Styles spit on Chris Pine during the Venice Film Festival premiere of Don’t Worry, Darling?

“As the youngest Nobel Prize winner in history, do you think Harry Styles spit on Chris Pine?” Kimmel asked Yousafzai with a completely straight face. Without missing a beat, she simply replied, “I only talk about peace.”

“That’s why you’re Malala,” Kimmel said. “That’s a great answer.”

Yousafzai is an executive producer on the short movie Stranger at the Gate, which was nominated in the best documentary short subject category at the 2023 Oscars, ultimately losing to The Elephant Whisperers.

#SpitGate became a favorite Internet debate topic last fall after a video surfaced that appeared to show the “As It Was” singer and Billboard Hot 100 topper leaning over Pine and spitting on him. A rep for Pine soon explained it was merely an “odd online illusion” in the clip.

Just a few weeks ago, Pine explained in greater detail what happened. “He leaned down, and I think he said, ‘It’s just words, isn’t it?’” Pine shared. “‘Cause we had this little joke. We’re all jet-lagged, we’re all trying to answer these questions. Sometimes when you’re doing these press things, your brain gets befuddled and you start speaking gibberish. And we had a joke: ‘It’s just words, man.’”