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joseph patel
Indian-American Oscar Winner Slams 'F**king Dick' Chris Rock For Calling Him A 'White Guy'
Another Academy Award winner was not happy with a joke comedian and award presenter Chris Rock made on Sunday.
Shortly after the slap seen around the world, Rock continued doing what he was initially on stage for - announcing the winner for Best Documentary Feature.
a documentary that covers the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival and musician Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson's directorial debut, won the award.
Rock went on to announce Thompson's name, but glossed over the other producers and winners by calling them, "four White guys." There were actually three other producers and only two are White.
Joseph Patel, one of the four winners, is actually the first South Asian to win in the category, and did not appreciate Rock's comment.
Furthermore, the win was overshadowed by Oscar winning actor Will Smith slapping the Everybody Hates Chris star moments before the winners were announced.
As reported by Variety,Patel took to Twitter to voice his disappointment in a series of now deleted tweets:
“The reason that makes me SO SO VERY ANGRY is because I was so proud to be one of a handful of South Asians to have ever won an Oscar in the history of the award."
“I was ecstatic that I was the 3RD South Asian to win that night – after Riz [Ahmed] and Aneil Karia won earlier in the night for [best live action short winner] ‘The Long Goodbye.’"
"Three South Asians winning on the same night – that’s never happened before! And it’s meaningful! It’s history!”
Patel said Rock's joke soured the historic moment:
“I got back home to New York last night and saw the ceremony on my DVR and didn’t have the stomach to watch it.
“I probably never will."
"Thank you, Chris – You absolute f**king d**k.”
Patel also called out Smith for his attention stealing behavior during the ceremony, calling the Oscar winner "selfish":
“I think what Will [Smith] did was selfish."
"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.”
He then gave Rock the benefit of the doubt, suggesting Rock was just stressed after the altercation, as Rock actually told the same exact joke the previous night at a different event, before knowing who the winners were.
Regardless, Patel was still disappointed on how his and his peers' Oscar moment went.
“I never need a statue to tell me how nice I am – but it sure helps."
"And what both Will AND Chris did really stained what should have been a beautiful moment for us."
“Also it goes without saying I speak for me and me alone. Not Ahmir and not our coproducers.”
Unfortunately, it appears Patel got hate for voicing his opinion and has since limited viewers of his Twitter page.
It hasn't stopped fans from offering their congratulations and understanding.
Congratulations to you and the whole Summer Of Soul team on your win. Gorgeous documentary that should be celebrated.— Lina Srivastava (@Lina Srivastava) 1648740081
congratulations, joseph!!! enormously happy for you all, thank you for the gift of the film.— Jazmine Hughes (@Jazmine Hughes) 1648755651
I\u2019ve read the Thread Joseph. Thank you Team #SummerOfSoul & @questlove for making such a phenomenal Documentary really deserved . Keep shining Peace— \ud835\udd84\ud835\udd94\ud835\udd90\ud835\udd8a\ud835\udd98\ud835\udd8d \ud835\udd79\ud835\udd8a\ud835\udd8a\ud835\udd91\ud835\udd86\ud835\udd92\ud835\udd8a\ud835\udd8c\ud835\udd86\ud835\udd92 (@\ud835\udd84\ud835\udd94\ud835\udd90\ud835\udd8a\ud835\udd98\ud835\udd8d \ud835\udd79\ud835\udd8a\ud835\udd8a\ud835\udd91\ud835\udd86\ud835\udd92\ud835\udd8a\ud835\udd8c\ud835\udd86\ud835\udd92) 1648713052
always choose self-preservation. grateful for your vulnerability. sending blessings and light— J(enna) Wortham (@J(enna) Wortham) 1648750057
Congratulations to you all! It socks that the moment was ruined by all involved. I saw nothing wrong with you expressing how YOU felt about YOUR experience.— Valencia Michelle (@Valencia Michelle) 1648724241
And everything you said in your thread was perfect mate.\nCongratulations on your amazing documentary and well deserved #Oscars win. Everybody in the UK, it\u2019s on Disney+ so watch it if you get the chance.— MaccaS_Rants (@MaccaS_Rants) 1648712305
You have every right to be upset, hopefully as you noted, the ceremony and your achievement will separate over time for you. Still incredibly happy for you and proud to see you \u2018riding around shining!\u2019 #KDVStoOscars— Twiki (@Twiki) 1648734364
You. Won. An. Oscar. \n\nSo did MANY MANY others who didn't even make the broadcast AT ALL. \n\nYou. Won. An. Oscar. \n\nCongratulations.— annettesayswhat (@annettesayswhat) 1648733694
While some Twitter users suggested Patel was being sensitive, many more agreed that Rock's joke was thoughtless - regardless of the stress he may have been under:
I know Chris Rock was under an enormous amount of stress in the moment but the way he announced the winner as "Ahmir Thompson and 4 White Guys" when it was 3 other guys and one of them was Joseph Patel @jazzbeezy, a bearded bespectacled BROWN guy...just rubbed me the wrong way.— Ian Harnarine (@Ian Harnarine) 1648491916
did chris rock apologize to summer of soul producer joseph patel when he announced "ahmir "questlove" thompson and four white dudes" won best documentary on sunday? cause the summer of soul crew as a whole got their entire night overshadowed by multiple moments, not just the slap— Brandon Caldwell (@Brandon Caldwell) 1648700027
Much love and respect to Joseph Patel on an amazing. So sorry that your moment of amazing was diminished by ignorance on so many different levels.— Franci (@Franci) 1648746324
I think Joseph Patel should have slapped Chris Rock too personallyhttps://twitter.com/nancywyuen/status/1509488863911165955\u00a0\u2026— Alice \ud83c\udff4 ~ Ars goetia artis (@Alice \ud83c\udff4 ~ Ars goetia artis) 1648744040
I feel the bigger insult to Questlove was Chris Rock referring to the winners as \u201cQuestlove and 4 white guys\u201d. 1st, Joseph Patel is not white. 2nd Robert Fyvolent, David Dinerstein put dedication along with Amir to bring this to life. \nI am glad Amir\u2019s mom could share with him.— THEE Trini Bev (@THEE Trini Bev) 1648442467
Smith has since issued an public apology to Rock, and the comedian vaguely referenced the incident in a recent stand up, but has made no further comments.
Meanwhile, Patel's fellow winner Questlove has since explained that he was meditating before his win, and missed the chaos preceding it.