Richard Ayoade made a joke about Will Smith’s Oscars slap while hosting the 2022 BAFTA TV Awards.
The comedian presented the show on Sunday (May 8) at the Royal Festival Hall in London, where he referred to Will Smith’s altercation with Chris Rock during his opening monologue.
Speaking to the audience, Ayoade said: “BAFTA is celebrating 75 years at the heart of our industry, even though industries don’t have hearts.
“In 1955, there were only six categories. Barely enough time to get up from your seat and slap someone before the whole ceremony would be over.”
He added: “Do not worry your overly-filmed heads, I’m not going to use your faces as punchlines or punchbags, you’ve suffered enough. No-one works harder than us, apart from people in other professions.
“I’m putting in a couple of hours today, I’m shattered.”
Big Zuu and BBC miniseries Time were among the big winners at the BAFTAs, with Sean Bean picking up the award for Leading Actor.
Other winners included Jodie Comer, who was recognised in the Leading Actress category for her role in Help. Jamie Demetriou won the award for Male Performance In A Comedy Programme for Stath Lets Flats.
Smith has since resigned from The Academy and been banned from attending the Oscars for 10 years after slapping Rock in March.
The comedian recently joined Dave Chappelle on-stage at a stand-up show in Los Angeles where he joked about the incident. “I got smacked by the softest n**** that ever rapped,” Rock said.
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