Oscar-Winning Producer Says Will Smith and Chris Rock Fiasco “Robbed” His Moment

Joseph Patel, a producer who won an award for Summer of Soul moments after Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars shared his thoughts on the matter, saying Will’s choices were “selfish.”

By Kelly Gilmore Apr 01, 2022 2:44 PMTags
Watch: Chris Rock SPEAKS OUT on Will Smith's Oscars Slap

A moment stolen by the infamous slap. 

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Summer of Soul producer Joseph Patel took to Twitter to share how he felt about accepting an Academy Award moments after Will Smith slapped Chris Rock onstage at the Oscars 2022 ceremony on March 27.

Joseph—who went onstage with co-producers Robert Fyvolent and David Dinerstein and director Ahmir 'Questlove' Thompson to accept the award for Best Documentary Feature—emphasized that he was speaking on behalf of himself and not his Summer of Soul coworkers. 

Reflecting on the moment, Joseph shared that he felt Will's actions were "selfish." 

"It robbed the category of its moment," Joseph wrote in a March 30 tweet. "It robbed the other excellent and amazing films of their moment to be acknowledged in what was a STRONG year for docs. And it robbed Summer of Soul and our team of our moment. Of a loud, enthusiastic cheer for a celebrated film."

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Will Smith “Refused” to Leave Oscars Ceremony After Outburst, Academy Says

Joseph explained that after the altercation occurred, many were left in a state of confusion.

"Once we realized the Chris Rock/Will Smith interaction wasn't a bit, everything got turned upside down," he wrote. "Everyone was still trying to make sense of it when Chris persevered and started to read the nominees," later adding, "We were in shock walking to the stage—not because of winning but because we, too, were still trying to make sense of what happened."

Joseph also shared that his grievances extended to Chris as well for making a factually incorrect dig at Joseph and his fellow producers, as they took the stage to accept their win.

"What I didn't hear in that moment walking to stage but was told of afterwards is what Chris Rock said when reading our name from the winner's card — the winner is Summer of Soul … Ahmir 'Questlove' Thompson and … four white guys.' WHAT IN THE ACTUAL F--K?????," he wrote.

ABC

Joseph said that the comment from Chris angered him not only because there were three producers, rather than four, but because he is South Asian. 

As the producer wrote, "The reason that makes me SO SO VERY ANGRY is because I was so proud to be one of a handful of South Asians to have ever won an Oscar in the history of the award." 

Concluding his thoughts, Joseph noted that he "probably never will" watch the ceremony again after the events that unfolded.

E! News has reached out to reps for Will and Chris for comment.