Chris Rock was announced for the gig of hosting the
Academy Awards long before the nominations were revealed, and ensuing controversy over the lack of diversity in the nominees erupted. And Rock stoked the intrigue, refusing to do pre-Oscar publicity while he honed his material. He didn't want to give anything away and for good reason -- this wouldn't just be a fun hosting job; it felt vital, important, and now. And boy did he pull it off.
Below, our favorite Chris Rock moments form this year's
Oscars.
1. The Opening Monologue
When one of Rock's first remarks in his monologue was, "If they nominated hosts, I wouldn't even get this job," you knew that it was going to be pretty no-holds-barred. And, well, it was. His monologue focused primarily on the issue of race, which set a tone for the rest of the evening, in which Rock would return to this well again and again. He described the Academy as "sorority racist," referred to "
Creed" as "Black Rocky," and took a jab at Oscar-boycotting
Will Smith, when he said "it's also not fair Will Smith was paid $20 million for '
Wild Wild West.'" It was wild, in-your-face and utterly hilarious.
2. Thinking Sam Smith Was George Michael
It was a throwaway gag but, following his melodramatic rendition of
James Bond theme song "Writing's On the Wall" (from "
Spectre"), Rock made a jab at Sam Smith. Rock said that "Father Figure" was his favorite song, a reference to the hit 1988 single.
3. Black History Month Minute
In an amazing pre-taped bit
Angela Bassett hosted the "Black History Month Minute." It seemed like she was talking about a famous African American actor (hello, Will Smith!) until it was revealed that she was instead describing the career of
Jack Black. Get it? Black? So good.
4. Referring to Michael B. Jordan as a 'Should-Have-Been Nominee'
Again, this was another minor moment but one we loved deeply: when introducing Michael B. Jordan, Rock referred to him as a "should-have-been nominee," referring to the sentiment of many, that Jordan should have been recognized for his exceptional, deeply felt work in "Creed."
5. The Suge Knight Gags
At one point, Rock made mention that there were some real life characters in the audience, including the woman that inspired
David O. Russell's "
Joy." But the best was when Rock pointed out
Suge Knight, the violent, frequently imprisoned villain from "
Straight Outta Compton." (The actor playing Suge Knight is strapped to a gurney like Hannibal Lecter.) Later in the ceremony, Knight is seen freed, seemingly because he gave his jailers Girl Scout Cookies. Which brings us to...
6. Girl Scout Cookies
...In a bit of off-the-cuff wackiness that was like a funny version of what
David Letterman tried to do back in the day, Rock introduced his daughter's Girl Scout troop, who then sold boxes of Girl Scout Cookies to seated celebrities. It was charming and sweet and served as a cute anecdote to the otherwise acerbic humor coming from Rock all night. Later in the show, he revealed that the troop had raised more than $65,000 and as he signed off, he passed out cookies to the winning team behind "
Spotlight."
7. Pre-taped Compton Bit
One of the laugh-out-loud funniest moments of the entire ceremony was a pre-taped segment when Rock visited a Compton movie theater to ask moviegoers about the Oscars. (Spoiler alert: they had never, ever heard of "
Bridge of Spies.") This piece was symbolic of Rock's overall approach to the ceremony: he hit the issue of racism in the Academy Awards with surgical precision while also making light of the situation. It is both jovial and cutting. And the bit also illuminated the fact that the Oscars largely nominate movies that no one ever actually sees.
8. Boxes for Shorties
Another small moment we loved: when pint-sized stars
Abraham Attah (from "
Beasts of No Nation") and
Jacob Tremblay ("
Room"), who were presenting Best Short Film, Rock ran out to put apple boxes on the stage so they could actually be heard by the microphone.
9. His Sign Off
At the end of the insanely long night, Rock invited everyone to the BET Awards this summer. He also said "Black Lives Matter" and handed
Michael Keaton a Girl Scout cookie. It was truly an amazing end to an amazing night. Until next year...
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