Jason Manford poked fun at Will Smith's Oscar's smack at the 2022 Olivier Awards.
Jason Manford makes a gag about Will Smith's Oscars slap while hosting the Olivier Awards
The 40-year-old comedian hosted the star-studded ceremony at London's Royal Albert Hall on Sunday night (11.04.22), and he jokingly asked the audience members not to "slap me in the face" in reference to the Hollywood star striking Academy Awards presenter Chris Rock at the bash after he made fun of his wife Jada Pinkett Smith's hair loss.
Jason quipped: "There will be moments where I've got to fill a bit of time when they're changing the set.
"So I'll come out and have a chat with some of you guys in the audience. Please don't slap me in the face."
The funnyman went on to joke that "the last thing" he needed was one of the seven actors who played the Tiger in 'Life of Pi' - which won five prizes - to slap him.
He joked: "I'm a comedian, and this is an awards ceremony, and those two things have not gone down well together lately," Manford continued once the Oliviers ceremony started, kicking off what will surely be a whole year of Oscars jokes from awards hosts.
"So before we get into this properly, let me tell you, I think all your hair looks lovely, and I will very much be keeping your wives names out of my chuffing mouth this evening. This is an evening of back-slapping, not face-slapping."
He then laughed: "The last thing I need is a slap in the face from the seven actors who played the tiger."
Later on, Jason also made a gag about theatre legend Andrew Lloyd Webber, 74, saying he would risk arrest to open his theatres again amid the COVID-19 shutdown.
He began: "Andrew Lloyd Webber said he would happily risk arrest if he could open his theatres."
Referring to the Argentine Marxist revolutionary, who played a role in the Cuban Revolution, Jason then joked: "He was like the Che Guevara of the West End."
Tagged in Chris Rock Will Smith Jason Manford