'Summer of Soul' producer says Will Smith and Chris Rock robbed the documentary of its moment
CNN
Joseph Patel, one of the producers behind Oscar-winning documentary "Summer of Soul," has spoken out about the slapping incident for the first time, calling Will Smith's actions "selfish" and admonishing Chris Rock for comments he made when awarding the film.
In a now-deleted Twitter thread, Patel -- who, along with Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson, was one of the people who accepted the award for best documentary feature -- said the incident robbed the category and "Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)" of their moment.
"I think what Will did was selfish," Patel wrote Wednesday evening. "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."