Overview
- In a Variety interview published Oct. 27, 2025, Sykes said Smith phoned to apologize for the 2022 onstage slap of Chris Rock.
- She said she replied by text that she could not talk because she had COVID or a bad cold, so no conversation occurred.
- The acknowledgment updates her March 2022 remark that none of the ceremony’s hosts had received an apology.
- Sykes added that the incident eclipsed her cohosting turn with Amy Schumer and Regina Hall.
- After the slap, Smith resigned from the Academy and was banned for 10 years, while Rock declined to press charges and later said he was not a victim.