On March 3, 2022, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Rock as one of the presenters of the 94th Academy Awards.[5] Rock previously served as the host for the awards on two separate occasions, including in 2016, when several actors boycotted the event due to the lack of African-American nominees. Pinkett Smith was among those participating in the boycott, leading Rock to joke about her in his opening monologue: "Jada boycotting the Oscars is like me boycotting Rihanna's panties. I wasn't invited."[6]