Americans name Will Smith slapping Chris Rock most shocking moment in Oscars history

It was the slap seen around the world — and it may be just the ratings boon the Oscars are looking for.

A new OnePoll survey of 1,000 Americans found that 63% of those polled say they plan to tune into the Oscars next year directly because of the Will Smith and Chris Rock incident. 

Ahead of this year’s Academy Awards, the program made some alterations to its broadcast in an attempt to gain more viewers and shore up ratings.

Eight categories (documentary short, film editing, makeup/hairstyling, original score, production design, animated short, live-action short and sound) were shot in advance in an attempt to shorten its runtime.

Those alterations were met with mostly negative sentiment, as talks of boycotting the event gained steam in order to show solidarity with the nominees who were cut for time.

But the Will Smith and Chris Rock incident seems to have breathed some life back into Hollywood’s biggest night.

According to the poll, nearly one in ten of those surveyed only tuned into the Oscars after they heard about the incident.

The results also showed that the slap now tops the list of the Oscars' most shocking moments. 

Asked to pick three out of a list of 14, the Will Smith and Chris Rock incident gained 35% of the votes. The second-place moment, "La La Land" being mistakenly announced as Best Picture at the 2017 show, coming in at 19%. 

TOP TEN MOST SHOCKING OSCARS MOMENTS

• Will Smith slapping Chris Rock - 35%
• "La La Land " announced as Best Picture instead of "Moonlight" - 19%
• Kevin Hart fired as host - 18%
• Marlon Brando sending Sacheen Littlefeather to decline the Best Actor award - 17%
• Ellen Degeneres snapping a selfie with celebrities - 17%
• John Travolta pronouncing Idina Menzel’s name as “Adele Dazeem” - 17%
• Angelina Jolie’s leg taking over the internet - 16%
• Streaker storming the stage behind David Nevin - 16%
• Jennifer Lawrence trips up the stairs to accept Best Actress award 16%
• Anne Hathaway and James Franco co-hosting together - 15%