Will Smith's slapping of the 94th Academy Awards' presenter, Chris Rock, at last year's Oscars gained a lot of controversy.

The slap was in response to Rock's joke about Jada Pinkett Smith's, Will Smith's wife, health.

The Men in Black and King Richard star was consequently banned from Academy events for a decade and he resigned from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He also issued an apology the night of to the Academy and the audience, and an unaccepted apology online the next day over Instagram.

Recently, Chief Executive Bill Kramer talked to Time magazine about measures to prevent and control future incidents should they occur.

Bill Kramer - Oscars.org

Kramer was introduced as the chief executive of the Academy two years ago. In 2021, he managed the launch of the Academy Museum.

He's been working to increase the relevancy of the Oscars among younger audiences, which the Academy Museum helped do. Some of his plans to bolster the Oscar's marketability includes broadcasting the technical awards and adding live performances.

A "crisis team" has also been assembled to prevent any incidents this year or in those to come.

"It is our hope that we will be prepared for anything that we may not anticipate right now but that we’re planning for just in case it does happen.”

Chief executive Kramer says that they had "run many scenarios" in preparation.

Preparation includes having American comedian Jimmy Kimmel acting as host for the the 95 Academy Awards. His experience with live performances, Kramer says, will be important to "pivot and manage" any potential incidents.

"That’s why you want someone like Jimmy on stage who is used to dealing with live TV: Things don’t always go as planned."

I stole these. #Oscars95 March 12th on ABC! pic.twitter.com/QIwWZ6NwBM

— Jimmy Kimmel (@jimmykimmel) February 22, 2023

Last month, Academy president Janet Yan spoke out at an Academy luncheon that the Academy's response to the slapping incident, nicknamed "Slapgate" online.

"I'm sure you all remember we experienced an unprecedented event at the Oscars. What happened on stage was wholly unacceptable and the response from our organisation was inadequate."

"We have learned from this that the Academy must be full transparent and accountable in our actions. Particularly in times of crisis we must act swiftly and compassionately and decisively for ourselves and for our industry,” she said.

“You should and can expect no less from us going forward.”

#Oscars President Janet Yang addresses the Will Smith #Slapgate controversy to all the nominees...@Variety pic.twitter.com/2NjaqmEFvd

— Clayton Davis - Stand with 🇺🇦 (@ByClaytonDavis) February 13, 2023

This year, Ireland has quite a bit of talent in the running. The Banshees of Inisherin actor Colin Farrell and Aftersun star Paul Mescal have both been nominated for Best Actor.

The Banshees of Inisherin film and team also have been nominated for Best Original Score, Best Original Screenplay, and Best International Feature. Also nominated for Best International Feature is the Irish language film An Cailín Ciúin.