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Newly-minted Oscar winner Ahmir Khalib Thompson–who is professionally known as Questlove–said he was "not present at all" when he won the Academy Award for his documentary directorial debut, Summer of Soul, on Sunday.
His victory was preceded by the now-infamous slap heard around the world–which involved Will Smith smacking Chris Rock across the face for a joke about Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith.
Rock went on to announce Questlove's win for the category.
CONGRATULATIONS TO @questlove on his OSCAR WIN!! #MusicalExcellence @theroots @jimmyfallon @theGriopic.twitter.com/SLYV5CTesh— Mo B. (@Mo B.) 1648441357
YES!! 😃 @chrisrock Wins @jimmyfallon’s co-friend @questlove and his Documentary Movie “Summer of Soul” in this years Oscars! 🏆#Oscars @amyschumer @MoreReginaHall @iamwandasykes pic.twitter.com/F4ZjldyV97
— Alan Vazquez Fox (@alain_limon1) March 28, 2022
He recalled his meditative mindset during the tense scene that left many rattled.
On Monday, Questlove was congratulated by the titular host of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon–where he and his The Roots bandmates serve as the in-house band.
When they discussed the Smith/Rock scuffle, Questlove told Fallon he chose to meditate instead of giving in to the anxiety at the ceremony.
Questlove Missed Will Smith Slap Because He Was Doing Transcendental Meditation Before Oscar Win https://www.indiewire.com/2022/03/questlove-will-smith-oscars-slap-meditating-1234712477/\u00a0\u2026 via @indiewire— Anne Thompson (@Anne Thompson) 1648578586
Questlove said he had been practicing transcendental meditation for two years since comedian Jerry Seinfeld introduced it to him.
He said of Smith and Rock:
"Of course, you know, that happened in the cyclone of a whole [other] situation with two very good friends of mine."
"And I really wasn't aware of that, it's weird to say, because—they tell you ahead of time, ‘This is your category!'"
"And so, in that moment, you're either gonna be full of anxiety—or for me, I've been meditating for the last two years."
Do not let the Will Smith / Chris Rock drama distract you from the fact that\u2026\n\n@questlove JUST WON AN OSCAR— Gavin Purcell (@Gavin Purcell) 1648434870
He continued:
"When the commercial break was happening, I was just in my ‘mmmm.'"
"So, when I opened my eyes, I didn't realize, like, ‘Why is everyone so quiet?' I literally was not present for that whole entire moment."
Will Smith needs to apologize to @chrisrock BUT MOSTLY for @questlove for ruining and overshadowing his Oscar moment. Shame on Will Smith for acting like an entitled rich asshole. I don\u2019t care how good you can act, you\u2019re classless and sound like an abuser. #ididitforlove— Eva Marie (@Eva Marie) 1648438776
When Rock announced Summer of Soul won Best Documentary, the audience was still reeling from the drama that had just played out.
Questlove said he was completely unaware of the chaos that unfolded as he accepted the award.
"And as I'm walking to the stage, I'm kind of putting two and two together and I realize that that was a real moment, maybe three seconds before I spoke words."
"But in my mind, [Rock and Smith] are just doing a sketch or whatever, and I'm just like 'Okay Ahmir, remember to thank your mom, your dad."
You can watch the Jimmy Fallon interview, here.
In his acceptance speech, Questlove explained the significance of the film.
"This is about marginalized people in Harlem that needed to heal from pain," he said. "Just know in 2022—this is not just a 1969 story about marginalized people in Harlem."
An example of an untold (or under-told) story being told by its perfect messenger \n\nCongratulations to Questlove and team on your well-deserved recognition for a magnificent film!— LuciaMF (@LuciaMF) 1648482554
I am so so happy this won!! It was a wonderful documentary!!! Congratulations, @questlove !!!— \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\u2019Ukraine Fan\u2019 -cy Nancy\u2728\ud83c\udf7e\ud83e\udd42 (@\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\u2019Ukraine Fan\u2019 -cy Nancy\u2728\ud83c\udf7e\ud83e\udd42) 1648439289
.@questlove getting a proper welcome from everyone at @FallonTonight after returning with his Oscar and I\u2019m here for every second of this love fest pic.twitter.com/IVBTXE5UFx— Wu-Tang Is For The Children (@Wu-Tang Is For The Children) 1648497936
Questlove's win was among many celebratory moments at the 2022 Oscars that was overshadowed by the slap that is still a trending topic online.
Smith stepped all over Questloves's victory, the Gaga and Minelli's moment. This is what violence does, this is what sick jokes do, they push aside the joy, the things we should be celebrating and leave us with anger, annoyance. We are lost, we're celebrating the wrong moments— Merritt Kelly (@Merritt Kelly) 1648480669
Thanks to Will Smith we did not get to absorb this win. Those who won Oscar\u2019s tonight deserve the accolades and yet all media is focused on Will. \n\nCongrats @questlove well deserved honey!— Skye (@Skye) 1648453935
He admitted to Fallon his "true reward" was getting to create with his friends and colleagues at "30 Rock University" where other NBC shows like Saturday Night Live are filmed in New York city.
The interview concluded with him thanking Fallon for providing him with a platform to "live out my dreams" since he started working for the talk show host in 2009.