You might remember that Questlove went to another awards show last week, but saying his Oscar win was upstaged is an understatement.
The musician took the stage at the 2022 Grammys to present the award for Song of the Year and addressed the elephant in the room. Questlove did mention the controversy but did so with a bit of laughter to lighten the mood.
Questlove’s Sound of Soul won Best Original Documentary at the Oscars, but the moment the team behind the film took the stage to accept the award was undeniably tainted. The team won the award just seconds after Will Smith hit Chris Rock on stage, and Questlove had this to say tonight.
“Alright, I’m gonna present this award, and I trust that you people will stay 500 feet away from me — just playing.”
“It’s better to give than receive, and I’m not so sure about that because last Sunday, of course, felt pretty good to receive — ya know — an award.” The crowd applauded, and some shared in awkward laughter as Questlove referenced the moment.
“I will say that it’s also great to win a Grammy award from this particular academy. For 22 years, The Roots won our first award and it’s as exciting as if it were the first time. You never forget your first time — this is now a special moment for someone, and we’re going to make a memory for them tonight.”
While Questlove didn’t explicitly state anything about the Oscars robbing him of a special moment, the win was Questlove’s first Oscar win, and he didn’t want anyone else’s moment to be tainted.
In a since-deleted Tweet, Joseph Patel, Summer of Soul‘s producer, said that Smith’s actions were selfish. Patel, who is South Asian, also took issue with Rock calling him one of “four white guys.”
“It robbed the category of its moment. It robbed the other excellent and amazing films of their moment to be acknowledged in what was a STRONG year for docs. And it robbed Summer of Soul and our team of our moment. Of a loud, enthusiastic cheer for a celebrated film.”
“Leave the Door Open” – Brandon Anderson, Bruno Mars, and Silk Sonic took the win for Song of the Year, and the pair danced their way to the stage to graciously accept the honor — joined by Brandon Anderson.
Congratulations to the winners and to Questlove for getting a deserved Grammy tonight and rocking those Crocs!