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Oscars 2022: Host's 'creepy' pat down sketch blasted
After three years without a host, the Oscars selected Amy Schumer, Wanda Sykes and Regina Hall to front this year’s award ceremony.
And while the trio of comedians received praise for their hilarious opening speech - including when they joked that “the Academy hired three women to host because it’s cheaper than hiring one man” - fans were left divided over Regina’s controversial solo sketch later in the night.
The Girls Trip star joked about her love life and made it known to the audience that she is currently single, before calling up a number of similarly single actors for backstage ‘Covid testing’.
Bradley Cooper, Timothée Chalamet, Tyler Perry and Simu Liu were all asked to join her on stage, as well as Javier Bardem before Regina remembered he was married to Penélope Cruz.
Will Smith was also asked to come on stage, with Regina insisting that his wife Jada Pinkett-Smith “was OK with it,” - a joke that references the fact that their marriage hasn't always been monogamous.
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After asking Australian Euphoria star Jacob Elordi, to join them, Regina said she would be swabbing the actors “with her tongue” and requested that they take off their clothes.
The skit continued when Josh Brolin and Jason Momoa walked on stage to present the next award and Regina patted them down as a “Covid protocol”.
Although some fans online found the segment to be “hilarious”, several viewers were left feeling uncomfortable and called it “creepy”
“Hey, Regina Hall. Your ‘joke’ was unacceptable. Typical double standards - if a guy would touch up female actors or simply line them up on a stage, talking how he wants to put his tongue down their throats, he would be cancelled,” one person wrote.
“So imagine if Jason Momoa and Josh Brolin gave Regina Hall a ‘Covid pat down’ as a part of an Oscars skit. Imagine the outrage. Sexism goes both ways folks. That was not cool. Not cool at all. That whole sketch was cringey,” another added.
“This is so so harmful for us women and I cannot believe she was ok to do that. Regina Hall should be ashamed,” a third shared.
“So… Regina Hall makes fun of the pandemic that killed millions of people in two years and used that as an excuse to grope men and make fun of sexual violence and everyone laughed and applauded? Ok then…” someone else remarked.
However, plenty of people were quick to rush to Regina’s defence and said that people shouldn’t take the joke so seriously.
“Sorry Karens, we are not going to let you come for Regina Hall,” a fan tweeted.
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