'The View': Child's Will Smith Oscar Slap Costume Sparks Whiplash of Outrage

By Daniel S. Levine

The View might "not endorse violence," but that did not stop the show from trotting out one of the most awful Halloween costumes seen on live television Monday. The show featured a young boy dressed in a costume referencing Will Smith's slap of Chris Rock at the Oscars. Viewers at home were shocked that such a thing was allowed to go on television without someone realizing it was in poor taste.

During Monday's episode, The View's hosts were all dressed as famous female television characters, which was a fun idea. Then things got weird. The show did a segment where children were dressed in costumes inspired by "Hot Topics" discussions. One of them was a young boy wearing a gold bodysuit with a red handprint painted on his face. He was meant to represent an Oscar statuette slapped by Smith.

The View wardrobe supervisor Ashley Aldefer Kaufman introduced the costume by reminding viewers that the show does not condone violence. "We do not want to endorse violence of any kind but we couldn't help but talk about one of the hottest topics of this year," Kaufman said, reports Variety.

The 'Newsworthy Halloween Costumes' Segment

The other costumes were also a little stranger for children. One kid was dressed as former President Donald Trump flushing documents down a toilet to represent the FBI's Mar-a-Lago search. Another kid wore an inflatable car dealership costume covered in money to represent inflation.

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'Like something from a dystopian thriller'

Smith's slap was one of the most-talked-about moments of 2022. During the 94th Academy Awards in March, Smith stormed the stage at the Dolby Theatre following Rock's jokes about his wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith. Minutes later, Smith accepted the Best Actor Oscar for King Richard and apologized to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences and the other nominees, but not Rock. The next day, Smith finally apologized to Rock and the Academy. Smith later resigned from the Academy and was banned from attending the Oscars for 10 years.

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'You did validate violence'

Most of the event was not seen on U.S. television, since ABC censored Smith's profanities. International broadcasts quickly surfaced on Twitter and went viral.

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'Too bad no one was able to flag this costume idea in advance'

The View co-host Whoopi Goldberg, herself an Oscar winner, denounced Smith's actions. "I think he overreacted. I think he had one of those moments where it was like [goddamn it], just stop. I get it, not everybody acts the way we would like them to act under pressure. And he snapped," she said in one of the episodes after the incident. Goldberg predicted there would be consequences, but the Academy would not take back his Oscar.

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'Do better!!'

"The Oscar Slap for a hot topic for Halloween on The View? Next time just pass on this suggestion! Otherwise great Halloween costumes," one viewer wrote.

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'Not a fan'

"The Oscar Slap? Really? (rolls eyes)," one person simply wrote.

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