ABC ruined the Oscars even before The Slap

https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-front-row/the-overcrammed-overrushed-frenetic-joyless-and-briefly-violent-2022-oscars-ceremony

"The strain was present from the start," says Richard Brody. "Despite the welcome presence of Venus and Serena Williams to open the show, the outdoor performance of 'Be Alive,' by Beyoncé and a crowd of dancers and musicians, and an agile, comedic triple monologue by Regina Hall, Amy Schumer, and Wanda Sykes, the first award, for Best Supporting Actress—it went to Ariana DeBose, for West Side Story—wasn’t given out until eight-twenty-five. The stress of maintaining entertainment value at a hectic rush was already at a panic level. By the time Chris Rock came out to present Best Documentary, around ten-thirty, it was depressingly clear that the Academy and ABC, the network broadcasting the show, had ruined the evening in advance: the overcrammed, overrushed, frenetic, panicky, and joyless proceedings had already become the news that would overshadow the movies and the artists who’d be honored there."