Oscars co-host Amy Schumer has weighed in on the shocking incident between Will Smith and Chris Rock at Sunday’s Academy Awards.
Late on Tuesday (March 29), Schumer, who co-hosted the 94th Academy Awards with Regina Hall and Wanda Sykes, posted a message on her Instagram that first made a lighthearted plug for her Hulu show Life & Beth, before becoming serious and addressing the incident that saw Smith storm on stage and slap Rock following a joke aimed at Jada Pinkett Smith.
“Still triggered and traumatized,” Schumer wrote in a caption on Instagram, adding, “I love my friend [Chris Rock] and believe he handled it like a pro. Stayed up there and gave an Oscar to his friend [Questlove] and the whole thing was so disturbing.”
She continued, “So much pain in [Will Smith], anyway I’m still in shock and stunned and sad. I’m proud of myself and my co-hosts. But yeah. Waiting for this sickening feeling to go away from what we all witnessed.”
On Monday, Smith posted a public apology to Rock on social media. Rock has yet to publicly respond to the incident, but the comedian has decided against pressing charges. The slap incident has been a polarizing moment in Hollywood and beyond and sparked calls for Smith to face punishment including losing his Oscar.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Academy confirmed that it will conduct a formal review, that “will take a few weeks.” Smith’s mother, Caroline Bright, said she was proud of her son’s best actor win for his portrayal of Richard Williams in King Richard. But much like the rest of the world, she was shocked by his attack on Rock following the comedian’s joke about Pinkett Smith’s hair loss.
“I know how he works, how hard he works … I’ve been waiting and waiting and waiting. When I heard the name, I was just, ‘Yes!’” Bright said in an interview with Philadelphia’s ABC affiliate 6abc. She added that seeing her son react that way was a “first” for her. “[Will] is a very even, people person. That’s the first time I’ve ever seen him go off. First time in his lifetime … I’ve never seen him do that,” she said.
See Schumer’s post below.
This article originally appeared on The Hollywood Reporter.