94th Academy Awards Become Meme-Filled Event As 'Will Smith's Slap,' 'Nicole Kidman's Reaction' And Other Oscar Moments Go Viral

Sunday night's 94th Academy Awards ceremony spawned a variety of memes and viral moments, from red-carpet looks to onstage combat.

Kicking off the night, Timothee Chalamet's unconventional choice to go shirtless in a shiny sequined jacket inspired much thirst from online commentators, some of whom speculated that he “rewrote the Oscars dress code.” Like his look from last year's Oscars, it led to certain segments of the internet falling even more deeply in love with the Gen-Z crush and A24 star.

No one does it like Timothée Chalamet … the lead of a 6-time Oscar winning film, an Oscar nominee at 22 and a fashion icon #Oscars pic.twitter.com/JK8haXa64m

— sic (@Iadybrds) March 28, 2022

Many Hollywood celebrities also wore blue ribbons to show support for Ukraine as it continues to fight off Russia's invasion.

🇺🇦 Jason Momoa, Francis Ford Coppola, Samuel L. Jackson, Pedro Almodovar, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paolo Sorrentino and the cast of his film The Hand of God and Jamie Lee Curtis expressed their solidarity with Ukraine at the Oscars by wearing ribbonsthe colors of the Ukrainian flag. pic.twitter.com/optOiAXujf

— JustTrishforDemocracy (@thefaeriehouse) March 28, 2022

The most-remarked upon thing at the Oscars, however, was easily the slap heard 'round the world. After Chris Rock made a joke mocking Jada Pinkett Smith’s short hair, which is a result of her alopecia, her husband Will Smith got up and slapped Rock in the face on live television.

Will Smith smacking Chris Rock and QuestLove winning an Oscar are the two most back to back Philly things to ever happen at the Oscars.

— Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta (@malcolmkenyatta) March 28, 2022

SNL writers coming into work today ready to write the worst Chris Rock vs Will Smith sketch ever made. pic.twitter.com/PbEFHmPCt7

— Matty Rex (@MatasaurusRex) March 28, 2022

Backlash, discussion, mockery and memery about the viral slap dominated social media platforms for hours into today. Celebrity reactions to the slap, captured by cameras in the room, were widely discussed, with the facial expressions made by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Lupita Nyong'o, in particular, receiving a lot of attention.

Did anyone else watch the Will Smith slap 20x? Some of the crowd reactions are primed for meme captions. 🤣 pic.twitter.com/enryONS3mb

— DNP3 (@DNPthree) March 28, 2022

LMFAOOOOOOOOO Beyoncé & Jay Z’s different reactions to the slap is cracking me up. pic.twitter.com/fDyWYuPnQG

— huncho snook ✰ (@somecallmesnook) March 28, 2022

Dwayne Johnson reaction at Will Smith slapping Chris Rock is the best. Give this is man a reward. This is meme worthy. pic.twitter.com/jDyJdxjA0i

— Malfunctional__ the defective D: (@MissGamer456) March 28, 2022

i’m lupita during that entire will and chris situation pic.twitter.com/G3z92vxPlI

— kae :) (@WIZKAELIFA) March 28, 2022

Nicole Kidman’s expressive face was also widely memed, although her reaction actually occurred earlier in the night despite many saying it was in response to the slap.

Nicole Kidman finally trading in the seal clap meme for her Will Smith/Chris Rock slap reaction 😭😭😭 #Oscars pic.twitter.com/H84BqMWgAa

— Joe (@onlyjoekin_) March 28, 2022

Andrew Garfield and Zendaya were caught on their phones following the slap, leading some to speculate that they were either on Twitter or texting Tom Holland.

andrew garfield and zendaya scrolling on twitter after will smith punch chris rock#Oscar pic.twitter.com/tTjFFP009t

— honey (@honeybbhl) March 28, 2022

zendaya and andrew texting the spider man group chat with live updates of the slap pic.twitter.com/MzoK8XiVcz

— mads 🥀 | #1 matt simmons stan (@JENNlFER_JAREAU) March 28, 2022

The Oscars have generated memes and viral moments in the past. From the famous Ellen DeGeneres Oscar Selfie taken in 2014 and the 2016 Oscars So White controversy to the "Best Picture" winner mix-up in 2017, moments from the ceremony have a way of rooting themselves in the public consciousness and dominating social media shortly after. However, viewership of the Oscars has steadily declined over the past few years, so some speculated that moments like the slap were actually staged to generate attention and publicity — although, again, that's all speculation.

Wrestling Twitter seeing film Twitter asking if the Will Smith slap was real or staged. pic.twitter.com/pcUKPefN2V

— Luke Owen D.A.D Vibes (@ThisisLukeOwen) March 28, 2022

After seeing the slow motion, I'm convinced that it was staged. He was waiting on it and it was just the tips of his fingers that hit him, not a full hand slap. #ratings #staged #Oscars2022 pic.twitter.com/jSdk8iR5s0

— Tommy Carter (@twofinger74) March 28, 2022

The winner of "Best Picture" was Apple's CODA, the first "Best Picture" win for a streaming service, and the winner of the "Best Actor" award was none other than Will Smith, for King Richard. The Academy Awards remain one of the most visible events in a rapidly changing film industry, and a fertile ground for the cultivation and harvesting of memes each year.