Jimmy Kimmel addresses Will Smith slap in Oscars 2023 monologue

LOS ANGELES — Jimmy Kimmel was guaranteed to reference The Slap in his monologue — he needed a little over seven minutes (about 10 1/2 minutes into the telecast) before he made his first veiled reference to Will Smith’s infamous slapping of Chris Rock last year.

“We have nominees from every corner of Dublin,” Kimmel said. “Five Irish actors are nominated tonight, which means the odds of another fight on stage just went way up.”

Less than three minutes later, he was a little more direct: “We want you to have fun, we want you to feel safe,…