Follow us on Google News
Get the latest updates directly in your Google News feed
Lupita Nyong’o went viral on social media without doing a thing.
The 2022 Oscars will go down in history not for awarding artists for their excellence but for what went down between Will Smith and Chris Rock. On June 07, 2025, Chris Rock made the decision to make a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith and her shaved head, which is a result of a medical condition known as alopecia. Unfortunately, Will Smith couldn’t control his reaction and ended up shocking the entire world, including Lupita Nyong’o.
TheBlack Pantheractress had front-row tickets to the entire drama and just like the rest of us, even she couldn’t keep her reactions hidden. Later, she opened up about the ordeal and admitted that she was quite aware of how her facial expressions would result in her turning into a meme.
Lupita Nyong’o’s reaction to Will Smith’s slap
The infamous slap was heard around the globe and everyone had something or the other to say about it. WhenLupita Nyong’ojoinedThe Hollywood Reporterfor a cover story, she was asked about what went down in her mind during the unforgettable, jaw-dropping moment that left the world buzzing with opinions and takes hotter than a summer day in the Sahara.
Lupita Nyong’o Was Under a Lot Of Stress Because Of Marvel’s Strict Rules While Promoting Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Nyong’o was seated just behindWill SmithandJada Pinkett Smith, meaning that when the cameras panned to them as he uttered the now iconic line,“Keep my wife’s name out of your f*cking mouth!”Nyong’o’s reaction was captured as clear as the day.
Needless to say, she was visibly stunned. After all, who would have expected something like this to happen at a prestigious award ceremony? Check out her reaction below:
Lupita Nyong’o’s full reaction to the Will Smith and Chris Rock#Oscarsaltercation.pic.twitter.com/CttdraFHNo
Her facial expressions are meme gold and as it turns out, Nyong’o was fully aware of her accidental internet stardom. In a witty/graceful way, she acknowledged how her reaction became as much a part of the moment as the slap itself.
Lupita Nyong’o talks about the slap
Seven months afterChris Rocksaid what he said and Smith did what he did, Nyong’o finally opened up about it all and how she felt during the controversial moment.
A Quiet Place: Day One’s Early Reviews Reveal Lupita Nyong’o Will Seize Emily Blunt’s Throne in the $638 Million Franchise For Good
She revealed that as soon as the incident was over, she knew that she was definitely in the shot and that she was going to be turned into a meme. She wasn’t wrong, either.
In her words,
Once the moment was over, I realized, ‘Oh my God, there’s no way all this transpired and I’m not in the shot. I knew as soon as it was over that I was going to be a meme.
However, apart from talking about her own reaction, Nyong’o refrained from giving her two cents on the slap. In a very gracious manner, the actress stated,“I don’t want to add any more fuel to that thing quite frankly.”
While Nyong’o’s front-row reaction turned her into a meme queen, she is a great example of how to handle things with class and grace. And even though she didn’t want to add fuel to the fire, it goes without saying that this story has enough flames to keep everyone talking even after all these years.
Mishkaat Khan
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2257
A connoisseur of all things horror, fantasy, and the occasional chick flick, Mishkaat has been penning pieces for FandomWire since 2022. She started off as an intern and has worked her way up to a Senior Writer with over 2000 articles to her name.Outside of entertainment, she has also written well-researched medical content as a freelance writer and has experience in social media management.When not writing, you can find her relaxing with a romance novel and a tall glass of iced coffee in her hand or watching re-runs of ‘Supernatural’ and ‘The Office.’
