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Benedict Cumberbatch took no prisoners during his monologue on the May 7 episode of Saturday Night Live. The star of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness poked fun at himself and at Will Smith as they were both nominated for the Best Actor Oscar at this year’s Academy Awards, with Will bringing home the trophy for King Richard. As the world will recall, moments before Will won, he slapped Chris Rock onstage — and Benedict made sure to mention it on the Studio 8H stage.
“I didn’t win,” said the smiling star, who was nominated for The Power of the Dog. “I was beat by Will Smith.” After a small pause, Benedict added. “Not physically! Not physically.” Ouch.
Earlier in the episode, Benedict took on the recent abortion controversy in a sketch about a medieval law’s effect on Roe v Wade. He also played an 80s band member who performs at Chuck E. Cheese and a cowboy who is emotionally moved by the taste of ice cream during a focus group. The SNL appearance marks the second for the British actor, who made his debut hosting back in 2016.
Meanwhile, Will was banned from attending the Oscars for a full decade after he hit Chris, who attempted to crack a joke about Will’s wife, actress Jada Pinkett Smith, during his presentation on stage. The ruling came only days after Will had already resigned as a member of the Academy. In a statement obtained by HollywoodLife, the actor said he “betrayed the trust of the Academy” and is “heartbroken” over his actions. “My actions at the 94th Academy Awards presentation were shocking, painful, and inexcusable,” he added.
The social media mea culpa came a day after Will apologized for his actions to his fellow nominees and the Academy during his Oscar acceptance speech. Yet Will didn’t mention Chris by name in the speech. Chris — who is reportedly not pressing charges against Will at this time — has yet to make a statement on the incident.