Here’s Who Presented Best Actress at the 2023 Oscars Instead of Will Smith
In a surprise twist, Jessica Chastain and Halle Berry presented the Academy Award for Best Actress at the 2023 Oscars this evening, stepping in for Will Smith who did not attend the show. Traditionally, the winner of Best Actor at the preceding Oscars then presents the following year’s Oscar for Best Actress, but the Academy had to find a replacement due to Will being banned from the event for 10 years.
Jessica and Halle took the stage to reveal the nominees (Cate Blanchett for Tár, Ana de Armas for Blonde, Andrea Riseborough for To Leslie, Michelle Williams for The Fabelmans, and Michelle Yeoh for Everything Everywhere All at Once) and they also pulled double duty. Not only did they present Michelle Yeoh the award for Best Actress, but they also presented Best Actor to winner Brendan Fraser. This kind of follows Oscars tradition since Jessica won the previous year for The Eyes of Tammy Faye. (And if you’re wondering why Halle was tapped for the big honor, she is also a previous winner for her role in Monster’s Ball back in 2003, when she took home Best Actress.)
Will Smith was banned from the Oscars for 10 years as a consequence of slapping Chris Rock onstage. The Academy released a statement about the decision, saying, “The 94th Oscars were meant to be a celebration of the many individuals in our community who did incredible work this past year; however, those moments were overshadowed by the unacceptable and harmful behavior we saw Mr. Smith exhibit on stage. During our telecast, we did not adequately address the situation in the room. For this, we are sorry. This was an opportunity for us to set an example for our guests, viewers and our Academy family around the world, and we fell short—unprepared for the unprecedented.”
They added, in part, “The Board has decided, for a period of 10 years from April 8, 2022, Mr. Smith shall not be permitted to attend any Academy events or programs, in person or virtually, including but not limited to the Academy Awards. We want to express our deep gratitude to Mr. Rock for maintaining his composure under extraordinary circumstances.”
Will released a statement of his own shortly after, saying, “I accept and respect the Academy’s decision.”
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