Richard E. Grant opens BAFTAs 2023 with Will Smith slap joke

Richard E. Grant referenced the Oscars slap in his opening speech at the BAFTAs 2023.

During the ceremony on Tuesday (February 19) at London’s Royal Festival Hall, the actor, who hosted the ceremony alongside Alison Hammond, told the crowd: “Nobody on my watch gets slapped tonight – except on the back.”

• READ MORE: ‘The Banshees Of Inisherin’ review: hilarious hillside comedy-drama for fans of ‘In Bruges’

The joke refers to the moment Will Smith slapped presenter Chris Rock after the comedian made a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, during last year’s Oscars.

Following a number of apologies after the incident, Smith resigned from the Academy and was later banned from attending all Academy events for 10 years.

In July last year, Smith posted an apology video to address questions surrounding the incident. “I’ve reached out to Chris [Rock] and the message that came back is he’s not ready to talk and when he is, he will reach out.”

All Quiet On The Western Front led the winners at the BAFTAs, picking up seven awards including Best Film and Film Not In The English Language.

The Banshees Of Inisherin, which was nominated for 10 awards, went onto win four trophies including Supporting Actress for Kerry Condon and Supporting Actor for Barry Keoghan.

Other winners include Austin Butler, who won Leading Actor for Elvis, and Cate Blanchett who won Leading Actress for TÁR. You can check out the full list of winners here.

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