“If it bleeds, it leads” is the old newsman’s maxim, but the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is betting that in a pinch, a slap will do. Despite Will Smith being banned from attending this year’s Academy Awards ceremonies, Hollywood decided to keep front and center the actor’s ratings-grabbing moment from last year.

Host Jimmy Kimmel first mentioned the Smith slap in his monologue, and he kept the trend going throughout the night in an effort to lift spirits in what otherwise would have been an overlong and dull ceremony.

“We want you to have fun, we want you to feel safe — and, most importantly, we want me to feel safe,” Mr. Kimmel said. “If anyone in this theater commits an act of violence at any point, you will be awarded the Oscar for Best Actor and permitted to give a 19-minute-long speech.”

Mr. Kimmel was referring to Mr. Smith’s winning speech last year after assaulting host Chris Rock. The incident became known as “the Slap Heard ‘Round the World,” and boosted ratings for the telecast after they’d sunk to a record low in 2021.

This year, history was made at the awards. Actress Michelle Yeoh became the first Asian woman to win the Oscar for best actress. Costume designer Ruth Carter became the first Black woman to win two awards. “Naatu Naatu” became the first Indian song to win an Oscar for Best Original Song.  

The movie “Everything Everywhere All at Once” dominated the night and took home seven Oscars, including the Best Picture award. The film tells the story of a Chinese-American immigrant, who enters a parallel universe to save existence.

Yet, the Oscars ceremony on Sunday lacked the political speeches that kept the audience members on their toes in previous years. That may be due to the Academy’s decision to add all 26 categories to the live ceremony and whittle the winners’ speech times down to a mere 45 seconds.

The Academy members also seemed to think that this year’s ceremony would score big again as long as they kept Mr. Smith present in spirit. Long before the event began, the Academy’s upper management spread word to several news outlets that, for the first time, it had designated a “crisis team.”

Explaining the plan to handle any unwelcome right hooks, the Academy president, Janet Yang, said on the red carpet that the institution’s response last year was “inadequate” and that this year it was “prepared in a way that perhaps we were not in the past.”

Without mentioning Mr. Smith’s name, Mr. Kimmel made Smith gags throughout the entire ceremony. “Five Irish actors are nominated tonight, which means the chances of another fight on stage went way up,” he said. 

Later, as Mr. Kimmel invited actors to the stage, he said: “Hopefully it goes off without a hitch. Or without Hitch,” referring to the 2005 movie “Hitch,” in which Mr. Smith stars. 

The 2022 Oscars attracted 16.6 million views, a 58 percent increase from 2021’s 10.5 million, Variety magazine reported. The viewership jumped during the 15 minutes of the attack on Mr. Rock and Mr. Smith’s best actor acceptance speech, where he offered no apology to his fellow actor.

Considering it was the most explosive moment in the Academy since the 2017 Best Picture envelope fiasco, when the wrong winner was announced, last night’s audience expected to enjoy a similar train wreck at this year’s awards.

Instead, Mr. Kimmel dropped his reputation as a “troublemaker” and transformed into an inoffensive host while maintaining his sassy schtick. 

Tom Cruise was one of the missing celebrities of the night. He is the star of the movie “Top Gun: Maverick,” which received six nominations, including for Best Picture. Despite the movie only winning for Best Sound, Mr. Kimmel referred to it as the film that “saved” Hollywood. 

There were speculations over whether Mr. Cruise would end up attending the ceremony. Yet, the night brought another surprise from the “Top Gun” production. Lady Gaga, who wasn’t scheduled to perform due to scheduling conflicts, made a last-minute appearance and sang her Oscar-nominated song “Hold My Hand,” featured in the movie. 

Far from the performance we witnessed at the 2019 Oscars, when she sang “Shallow” with actor Bradley Cooper, Ms. Gaga stripped off her red carpet makeup, and wore a black T-shirt and ripped jeans.

The evening otherwise was mainly uneventful. Mr. Smith might not have starred in 2001’s “The Man Who Wasn’t There,” but he defied his lifetime ban in spirit, hanging heavy over the entire night. As Mr. Kimmel exited the stage, he hung up a sign with the words: “Number of Oscars telecasts without incident: 001.”