Summer of Soul producer criticises Chris Rock for ‘white guy’ joke made after Will Smith slap at Oscars

Summer of Soul producer Joseph Patel has criticised Chris Rock for a joke he made while presenting the film with an Oscar.

Rock presented the Best Documentary Feature category during the event on Sunday (27 March).

Moments before naming Questlove’s film as the winner, however, the comedian was slapped by Will Smith for making a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head. Pinkett Smith has been open in the past about her alopecia diagnosis.

Joseph Patel has now called out Smith for being “selfish”, saying that his act “robbed the category of its moment” and “a loud, enthusiastic cheer for a celebrated film”.

He wrote on Twitter: “We were in shock walking to the stage not because of winning, but because we, too, were still trying to make sense of what happened.”

While Patel called out Smith, he also expressed anger towards Rock for claiming the film had been made by “Questlove... and four white guys”.

“What I didn’t hear in that moment walking to stage but was told of afterwards is what Chris Rock said when reading our name from the winner’s card,” he tweeted, adding: “WHAT IN THE ACTUAL F***?????”

Patel said that “the reason that makes me SO SO VERY ANGRY is because I was so proud to be one of a handful of South Asians to have ever won an Oscar in the history of the award”.

He added that he was “the third South Asian to win that night” following Riz Ahmed and Aneil Karia’s victory in the Best Live Action Short category for The Long Goodbye.

“That’s never happened before! And it’s meaningful! It’s history!” Patel wrote.

Patel suggested Rock had ruined the moment for his family and friends, stating: “I got back home to New York last night and saw the ceremony on my DVR and didn’t have the stomach to watch it. I probably never will. Thank you, Chris – You absolute f***ing d***.”

He also claimed that Rock had made the same joke at an event the night before.

The Independent has contacted Rock for comment.

Smith hitting Rock on stage has become the most-talked about moment of the evening, stealing the thunder from Coda’s Best Picture victory. Elsewhere, Dune won six awards.

Despite a source close to Rock claiming he “had no idea” Pinkett Smith had alopecia, the comedian is yet to comment on whether or not he did. Instead, during his first stand-up show since the incident on Wednesday (30 March), he said he was “still processing” what happened.

Smith, who is facing the prospect of disciplinary action from the Academy, has apologised for his actions. He went on to win Best Actor at the ceremony for his role in King Richard, accepting his award with a teary-eyed speech.

New footage of the direct aftermath of the moment that wasn’t seen on the Oscars broadcast has been released, showing Rock looking dazed immediately after Smith struck him.

The clip, which was posted online on TikTok, zooms in on Rock, who appears to be in shock following the incident.

Summer of Soul (Or the Revolution Could Not be Televised) is available to watch in the UK on Disney Plus.

Find the full list of 2022 Oscar winners here. See the latest updates and reactions from the dramatic ceremony here, and read about the biggest talking points here.