27th March 2022 marked the 94th Academy Award. This day will go down in history, but sadly, not for the right reasons. Will Smith won the award for Best Actor for his performance in King Richard. While that memory might fade away, his infamous clash with comedian Chris Rock will forever remain in our minds. The surplus of memes on the internet has immortalized the event. Jumping on the bandwagon, Rick and Morty also took a jibe at the notorious ‘Slapgate.’

Created by Dan Harmon, the beloved Adult Swim show often partakes in parodies, snarky commentary, and calling celebrities out. Let us see how they handled the Oscar controversy.

Rick and Morty made a snide remark about Will Smith and the Oscars

A lot changed in the aftermath of the Will Smith-Chris Rock brawl. Not only was The Fresh Prince banned from the Oscars for ten years, but he apparently also started losing projects. With his films put on hold or even canceled, some even believed that his career was over. It has been six months since the incident and things slowly seem to return to the status quo.

However, for weeks after the episode, many people believed that the altercation was fake. In fact, there were also claims that the Academy awards staged the whole thing as a publicity stunt. Rick and Morty heavily leaned into this opinion in their latest season. In season 6, episode 6 titled JuRicksic Mort, dinosaurs have peacefully taken over the planet. In exchange for ending the Jurassic reign, Rick persuaded the President to let him host the Oscars.

Dressed in an impeccable suit, the eccentric genius mimics a typical Oscar Emcee. From smacking the mic stand with the trophy to making an animated Tom Hanks yell “Wilson,” the scene encapsulated all the shenanigans. However, the dig at the Will Smith controversy came backstage. While Morty commends Rick for the “microphone bit,” Summer expressed her surprise as she realized it was “all scripted.”

“Every moment of the Oscars is. Even that one thing,” replied Rick, dripping with his signature smugness.

https://youtu.be/jerFRSQW9g8

While we might never really know if the slap was staged, the creators of Rick and Morty sure gave us a cunningly crafty yet chuckle-worthy moment. Did you notice this taunt when you first watched the episode? Let us know in the comments. In the meantime, you can watch all six seasons of the animated show on Netflix.