Having three female comedians — Amy Schumer, Wanda Sykes and Regina Hall — co-host the 2022 Oscars was meant to bring a fresh take to the 94th Academy Awards.
But detractors say that “sexist” and “creepy” jokes persisted — with some wondering how Will Smith’s now-infamous “slap” of presenter Chris Rock was any worse.
Hall began making jokes about being on the hunt for a man from the beginning of the night, but quickly escalated things with a skit that apparently left many in the audience — and at home — feeling uncomfortable.
Nearly a half-hour into the live broadcast Sunday night, the “Girls Trip” actress pretended she’d been alerted to worrisome COVID tests among the audience members and needed several stars to step backstage with her.
The 51-year-old comic then called a group of apparently single actors — Simu Liu, Bradley Cooper, Tyler Perry and Timothée Chalamet — up to the stage.
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“I don’t want any of you to worry. It’s gonna be a typical, quick COVID test. You’ll come backstage, take your mask off, if you have one, and your clothes … ” she joked to the men, specifying that she would need to “swab the back of your mouth with my tongue” and “do some other freaky stuff.”
She also named Jacob Elordi, teasing that he would need a “deep PCR test” and noting that the 24-year-old Australian actor is of “legal” age, despite playing a high school boy in his breakout role in “Euphoria.”
After ushering her lineup of single stars backstage, Hall continued her controversial skit by giving a suggestive, full-body “COVID pat-down” to the next two presenters, Josh Brolin and newly single Jason Mamoa.
“You know what? I don’t think that’s a thing,” Brolin said after they were awkwardly felt up.
The men seemed to accept or were in on the joke, but some celebrities in the audience appeared to offer uncomfortable laughs. Lupita Nyong’o, Jake Gyllenhaal, Jessica Chastain and Mila Kunis were shown chuckling, but Ashton Kutcher and others seemed noticeably taken aback by the routine.
While Smith’s onstage altercation with Rock created an avalanche of headlines and seemed to overshadow Hall’s skits, many viewers took to social media to express their discomfort with her jokes.
“I thought sexist jokes were banned!” one tweeter noted, while another offered, “I don’t appreciate double standards. Doesn’t everyone deserve respect.”
“If this ‘gag’ was reversed it would not be funny it would be creepy,” another online critic wrote. “Not in good taste.” Another echoed that sentiment: “Honestly double standards need to stop, she made me mad uncomfortable, imagine how they felt.”
However, not everyone was offended by Hall’s jokes, and some fans still flooded social media with love and laughs for the comedic actress.
Drama aside, the 2022 Oscars were meant to be a night of unity as producer Will Packer led the first all-black production team, and Schumer, Sykes and Hall made history as the first all-female team to host the event, which featured historic wins.