You Can’t ACT That Way At The Oscar’s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mVpe_htO0k
Will Smith assaults Chris Rock on Academy Awards stage
It seemed like another tiresome Oscar night devoid of any entertainment and replete with virtue signaling and political spiels. Just when you were about to yawn from boredom, Comedian Chris Rock ascended the stage to present the best documentary award.
Rock began with a jab at Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz for being nominated on the same night. His next target was Denzel Washington as Macbeth, Rock said “King Lear ain’t got nothing on me.”
Next, Jada Pinkett-Smith caught Rock's eye “Jada, I love you, G.I Jane 2, can’t wait to see it,” referring to the actress’s bald head.
Perhaps Rock was unaware that Pinkett-Smith suffers from alopecia, an autoimmune disorder that causes hair loss. Perhaps Rock thought that Jada is attractive, wealthy, and successful, her ailment is not life-threatening and hence she could take a silly joke.
But the joke didn’t go well with Jada’s husband, Will Smith, who walked up to Rock on stage and slapped Rock in the face.
Rock continued laughing and exclaimed, “Will Smith just smacked the s–t out of me.”
Will Smith, who was back in his seat, shrieked at Rock, “keep my wife’s name out your f–king mouth.” While Rock attempted to pacify an unhinged Smith pleading “it was a G.I. Jane joke,” Smith got angrier, and repeated his previous threat loudly.
The audio of the incident was muted on American TV but it is available online.
So how would a gentleman have reacted?
He would have held his wife's hand to support her and addressed the media later about his wife's ailment. Probably shaken his head in disapproval looking at Rock.
Smith won the best actor for the night, a few minutes later.
A gentleman would have begun his acceptance speech by unconditionally apologizing to Chris Rock and for his actions.
But Smith adopted the Alec Baldwin approach of painting himself as the bigger victim.
He broke into tears -- which is no effort for an actor of his experience.
“Richard Williams was a fierce defender of his family,” said Smith.
Smith was setting up the narrative, that his attack on Rock was him being a family man defending the honor of his beloved wife.
Smith then went on to sermonize.
“In this time in my life, at this moment, I am overwhelmed by what God is calling on me to do and be in this world.”
Narcissists frequently uses the cloak of being devout, to claim God is calling on them. The implication is they are so special that God chose them among all humans.
Smith went on:
“Making this film, I got to protect Aunganue Ellis, who is one of the strongest, most delicate people I’ve ever met. I got to protect Saniyya [Sidney] and Demi [Singleton], the two actresses who play Venus and Serena. I’m being called on in my life to love people and to protect people and to be a river to my people.”
Smith was merely an actor in the movie King Richard. He was mouthing lines from a script and following the instructions from his director.
Yet Smith seems to be claiming that ‘protecting’ his co-stars was his sole concerns. Smith's co-stars, who are women of color, are unlikely to be thrilled on being used as pawns and painted as helpless victims as he made excuses for his violence.
Smith continued to paint himself as the brave heart who dared to take on ‘abuse’ and people ‘disrespecting’ him.
“I'm being called on in my life to love people and to protect people and to be a river to my people. I know to do what we do, you got to be able to take abuse. You got to be able to have people talk crazy about you. In this business, you got to be able to have people disrespecting you. And you got to smile and you got to pretend like that's okay.”
Smith finally appeared to deliver his mea culpa
“I want to apologize to the Academy, I want to apologize to my fellow nominees. This is a beautiful moment and I’m not crying for winning an award. It’s not about winning an award for me. It’s about being able to shine a light on all of the people. Art imitates life. I look like the crazy father just like they said. just like they said about Richard Williams. Love will make you do crazy things.”
Thus Smith apologized to everybody but Chris Rock. The ‘Love will make you do crazy things is the kind of argument that wife-beaters use to justify their bad behavior, i.e. he struck her because he means well.
It is worth mentioning that Smith has spoken about having an open marriage with his wife Jada. A husband who deeply and unconditionally love his wife, usually does not make infidelity a norm of their marriage.
The academy issued a perfunctory condemnation of violence without actually naming him
If they really want to stand against violence, they should withdraw Smith’s award.
The reaction online was that of shock.
Then there was a Professor from the University of Florida who ‘specializes in American elections’ who used the disgraceful assault to target, yes you guessed right, Donald Trump.
The academic was advocating violence against President Trump for a frivolous retweet during the 2016 Primaries about Cruz’s wife. Back then Cruz had reacted appropriately with strong words only.
This incident is likely to be spun in the coming days. Judging by the reaction, it appears that the support is leaning towards Smith. He is after all the bigger star.
The pundits may claim Smith is fearlessly standing up to rampant sexism.
We must sympathize with the media race hustlers since both Smith and Rock are liberal men of color. They can still and most likely will claim, Smith was confronting racism, since Jada is woman of color.
Will the media bring up Donald Trump and Ted Cruz again? But of course, they will and most extensively.
Next, expect Smith to go on an interview spree, shedding copious crocodile tears claiming to have struggled owing to his wife's ailment or due to mental issues, or due to racism or the Trump presidency or war in Ukraine or Putin. Desperate times call for desperate excuses. He may claim Rock has ‘attacked’ his wife for a long time and as a man, he couldn’t take it anymore. He may even become an advocate for women’s rights.
It would be interesting to see how Rock, who is one of the finest comic minds, reacts to this.
The entitled Smith forgot the basic rule that you react to words with words. The moment you resort to violence, all is lost.
Smith’s actions send a bad message to his fans, especially his young male fans. Besides legitimizing violence, Smith also was telling his fans that instead of taking responsibility for your actions, you can make excuses and claim victimhood as an escape route.
Smith certainly deserves some form of punishment for his actions.
Smith also certainly deserves the best actor trophy for convincingly playing the part of an amiable nice guy for 3 decades.
That’s pure out of control rage and violence': Hollywood stars condemn Will Smith as Twitter erupts over THAT shocking Chris Rock slap during live Academy Awards ceremony
- Smith, 53, marched to the Oscars stage and slapped Rock, 57, as he presented the Best Documentary award
- The comedian had joked about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith's bald head
- 'Keep my wife’s name out of your f***ing mouth,' he shouted after sitting down
- Judd Apatow, Kathy Griffin, Mandy Moore and other stars spoke out against the attack on Twitter
- Smith later won for Best Actor for King Richard and got a standing ovation
- He starred as Venus and Serena Williams' father Richard Williams
Will Smith left Oscar viewers stunned and speechless on Sunday night after he slapped Chris Rock following an off-color joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith's hair loss, which is due to alopecia.
Hollywood stars quickly took to Twitter to call out Smith's shocking attack, with comedian and director Judd Apatow calling the display 'pure out of control rage and violence' and claiming that Smith 'could have killed' Rock.
'Seems like Will Smith's plan to get comedian and the world to not make jokes about him is not going to pan out. The Williams family must be furious. Pure narcissism,' he wrote.
Who saw that coming?! Hollywood stars spoke out against Will Smith on Sunday night after he slapped Chris Rock following an off-color joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith's hair loss
'Also — GI Jane was gorgeous. What exactly is insulting about being compared to a ripped, stunning Demi?' he wrote, referencing the Ridley Scott–directed Demi Moore–starring film.
Apatow strongly rejected a Twitter user who said they 'understood' why Smith hit Rock because of Jada Pinkett Smith's alopecia.
'He could have killed him. That's pure out of control rage and violence. They've heard a million jokes about them in the last three decades. They are not freshman in the world of Hollywood and comedy. He lost his mind,' he wrote.
Rock, 57, appeared to have set off Smith — who is nominated for Best Actor for his performance in King Richard — by joking that the Matrix Resurrections actress was preparing to star in a sequel to G.I. Jane, a reference to her bald head.
'Keep my wife’s name out of your f***ing mouth,' Smith shouted from the audience after returning to his seat near the stage.
Off the rails: Rock, 57, appeared to have set off Smith — who was nominated for Best Actor for his performance in King Richard — by joking that the Matrix Resurrections actress was preparing to star in a sequel to G.I. Jane, a reference to her bald head
Not having it: Judd Apatow didn't have much sympathy for Smith's behavior
'He could have killed him': He strongly rejected a Twitter user who said they 'understood' why Smith hit Rock because of Jada Pinkett Smith's alopecia
Kathy Griffin agreed with Apatow and called out Smith.
She wasn't having any of the rationalizations and defenses for his conduct, and she worried that his attack would embolden hecklers that regularly interrupt comedy shows.
'Let me tell you something, it's a very bad practice to walk up on stage and physically assault a Comedian.
Now we all have to worry about who wants to be the next Will Smith in comedy clubs and theaters.'
The Academy alluded to Smith's slap without explicitly mentioning it in a statement posted to Twitter.
'The Academy does not condone violence of any form.
Tonight we are delighted to celebrate our 94th Academy Award winners, who deserve this moment in recognition from their peers and movie lovers around the world.'
Will and Jada's son Jaden Smith didn't reference the slap in his Twitter post, but he didn't speak out against it, tweeting, 'And That's How We Do It.'
Later, he included a photo of himself in a car wearing sunglasses and noted that his father's acceptance speech made him emotional.
'My Dads Speech Made Me Cry,' he wrote.
Serena Williams, whose early years are documented in the inspiring drama, appeared to react to Smith attacking Rock in a short video posted to her Instagram Stories.
One brief clip showed her off the main floor with her moth hanging open and her eyes wide in shock.
'I just sat down 'cause I was like, "I've gotta get a drink now,"' she said in a follow-up video posted from inside the theater, though she didn't explicitly address the apparent assault.
Will and Jada joined together for some playful posts before the ceremony, but they seemed to capture the actor's mood even before his brutal outburst.
'Me ‘n @jadapinkettsmith got all dressed up to choose chaos,' he captioned a short Instagram video.
The two looked sweet as they stood together for a photo, but he layered narration from another source over the clip.
'Good morning, everyone.
God has let me live another day and I am about to make it everyone's problem,' the voice said.
Then the video cut to a variety of photos of the two mugging with snarling faces.
Not helping: Kathy Griffin wasn't having any of the rationalizations and defenses for Smith's conduct, and she worried that his attack would embolden hecklers that regularly interrupt comedy shows
No 'love':Maria Shriver didn't mince words in calling out Smith. '#WillSmith says he wants to be a vessel for love. Love is not violent. Love is not what was displayed on a global stage tonight,' she tweeted
Wagging her finger: Mandy Moore seemed to reference the attack with a tweet she reposted to her Instagram Stories, which appeared to urge viewers not to salute the actor's 'violence'
Speaking out: She followed it up by reposting a second comment: '"Love will make you do some crazy things" is true toxic bulls*** and I hope no children watching this learn a thing from him'
Nothing to see here: The Academy alluded to Smith's slap without explicitly mentioning it in a statement posted to Twitter
Family: Will and Jada's son Jaden Smith didn't reference the slap in his Twitter post, but he didn't speak out against it, tweeting, 'And That's How We Do It.'
Tears: Later, he included a photo of himself in a car wearing sunglasses and noted that his father's acceptance speech made him emotional
Shocker: Serena Williams appeared to react to Smith attacking Rock in a short video posted to her Instagram Stories. One brief clip showed her off the main floor with her moth hanging open and her eyes wide in shock
Calm before the storm: Will and Jada joined together for some playful posts before the ceremony, but they seemed to capture the actor's mood even before his brutal outburst
Mandy Moore seemed to reference the attack with a tweet she reposted to her Instagram Stories, which appeared to urge viewers not to salute the actor's 'violence.'
'Violence is never "proof of love,"' wrote Glennon Doyle. 'That's a deadly idea that has fueled and excused domestic (and all) violence for far too long. think hard about that take, please.'
She followed it up by reposting a second comment: '"Love will make you do some crazy things" is true toxic bulls*** and I hope no children watching this learn a thing from him.'
'THIS,' she added.
Jodie Turner-Smith couldn't get over her 'second-hand embarrassment' at the display.
'And as far as *that incident* goes... . . i am still processing,' she wrote. 'I have second hand embarrassment for all involved.'
Jimmy Kimmel could be counted on to find a joke from the shocking event.
'What was the vegas line on the fresh prince punching little penny in the face?' he tweeted.
What a night! Will Smith later took home the Best Actor prize for playing Venus and Serena Williams' father Richard Williams in King Richard
Can't look: But Jodie Turner-Smith couldn't get over her 'second-hand embarrassment' at the display
Having a laugh: Jimmy Kimmel could be counted on to find a joke from the shocking event. 'What was the vegas line on the fresh prince punching little penny in the face?' he tweeted
Some celebrities couldn't believe that the slap happened live on national television.
'Wtaf?????' tweeted The Daily Show's Trevor Noah. 'That wasn't scripted?????'
Conan O'Brien wrote, 'Just saw the Will Smith slap. Anyone have a late night show i can borrow just for tomorrow?'
Comedian Nikki Glaser appeared to allude to rumors about Will and Jada's relationship by tweeting, 'Open relationships seem healthy.'
Ron Funches, also a comic, defended Rock and said his joke was 'harmless.'
'That joke was harmless. Chris got caught up in the family drama,' he tweeted.
'Look, all I know is Katt Williams would've shot the whole place up if he got slapped,' he added later.
Hard to believe: Even the celebrities couldn't believe that the slap happened live on national television. 'Wtaf?????' tweeted The Daily Show's Trevor Noah. 'That wasn't scripted?????'
Bad timing: Conan O'Brien wrote, 'Just saw the Will Smith slap. Anyone have a late night show i can borrow just for tomorrow?'
Yikes: Comedian Nikki Glaser appeared to allude to rumors about Will and Jada's relationship by tweeting, 'Open relationships seem healthy'
Sounding off: Ron Funches, also a comic, defended Rock and said his joke was 'harmless.' 'That joke was harmless. Chris got caught up in the family drama,' he tweeted
Going dark: He joked that comedian Katt Williams would have reacted much more poorly to the same slap
Maksim Chmerkovskiy's wife Peta Murgatroyd understood Smith wanting to stand up for his wife, but she said there 'were other ways to handle this.'
'I gotta say...unless this was staged (it didn't look like it) ...there were other ways to handle this. My god This is WILD!!!! It ruined the rest of the show, and now the only thing people will remember about these Oscars is this altercation.
'On the flip side, I am all for Will Smith standing up for his wife. I think the reason is VALID, however this was not it.'
She clarified in a follow-up post that even though Rock's joke was a 'low blow,' but what Smith did 'was assault,' and she thought he should have been 'escorted out' after the fight.
'I dunno, this just jolted me every time I watched it back. It just made me so uncomfortable. Maybe it's because there is so much violence in the world right now. This is just not what we all needed to see,' she wrote.
D.L. Hughley referenced his recent feud with Kanye West in a series of tweets about the incident.
'Wayment did #Ali just punch #Pookie??,' he wrote, adding, 'That's some #IAmLegend fo yo A**.'
He continued, 'Wow!! And I thought me and #Kanye had beef!
'I bet the next #Oscars will be hosted by #TheRock not #ChrisRock,' he wrote, before joking that the Russian invasion of Ukraine had gotten less publicity than the fight.
Wrong approach: Maksim Chmerkovskiy's wife Peta Murgatroyd understood Smith wanting to stand up for his wife, but she said there 'were other ways to handle this'
Should have booted him: She clarified in a follow-up post that even though Rock's joke was a 'low blow,' but what Smith did 'was assault,' and she thought he should have been 'escorted out'
Having a laugh: D.L. Hughley referenced his recent feud with Kanye West in a series of tweets about the incident.
The writer Saeed Jones joked that Jada's talk show Red Table Talk might play a role in cleaning up the Oscars mess.
'Stop the damn #Oscars broadcast and drag a red table onto the stage because we need to TALK,' he tweeted.
Abbott Elementary star Quinta Brunson joked: 'What a very west Philly Oscars.'
George Takei wrote that 'With celebrity comes responsibility' as he chided Smith.
'Many People, especially kids, look up to actors. Because of that, we have an obligation to try to be good role models. With celebrity comes responsibility,' he tweeted.
After Treat Williams jokingly asked if he missed anything at the Oscars, Patton Oswalt had some fun in his quote tweet.
'[Kevin] Costner's speech was incredible. Believe me it's all anyone's gonna be talking about tomorrow,' he joked.
Interruption: The writer Saeed Jones joked that Jada's talk show Red Table Talk might play a role in cleaning up the Oscars mess
Fitting: Abbott Elementary star Quinta Brunson joked: 'What a very west Philly Oscars'
Speaking up: George Takei wrote that 'With celebrity comes responsibility' as he chided Smith
Silly: After Treat Williams jokingly asked if he missed anything at the Oscars, Patton Oswalt had some fun in his quote tweet
Maria Shriver didn't mince words in calling out Smith.
'#WillSmith says he wants to be a vessel for love. Love is not violent. Love is not what was displayed on a global stage tonight,' she tweeted.
'We should never get to a place where we sit and watch a movie start hit someone on global television then, moments later, get a standing ovation while talking about love,' she added.
Solomon Georgio joked, 'I can't believe that happened. A GI Jane reference in 2022?'
Warren Beatty and Annette Bening's daughter Isabel Beatty referenced her father's mixup at the 2017 Oscars, when he accidentally announced La La Land as the Best Picture winner, instead of the actual winner, Moonlight.
'Yes this is more unhinged than my dads moment, no debate,' she tweeted.
Didn't see that coming: Solomon Georgio joked, 'I can't believe that happened. A GI Jane reference in 2022?'
No comparison: Warren Beatty and Annette Bening's daughter Isabel Beatty referenced her father's mixup at the 2017 Oscars, when he announced the wrong Best Picture winner by mistake
Insecure's Natasha Rothwell agreed, writing, 'Never thought the La La land debacle would ever be eclipsed but here we are.'
The comedian George Wallace seemed to post a rare serious tweet criticizing Smith.
'Will Smith is lucky his momma wasn't there tonight,' he wrote. 'She would've kicked his a** for acting like that.'
Mark Hamill called the slap seen 'round the world the '#UgliestOscarMoment_Ever.'
'Stand-up comics are very adept at handling hecklers. Violent physical assault... not so much.'
Rob Reiner wrote that there was 'no excuse' for what Smith had done and called the apparently justifications in his acceptance speech 'bulls***.'
'Will Smith owes Chris Rock a huge apology. There is no excuse for what he did. He's lucky Chris is not filing assault charges. The excuses he made tonight were bulls***.'
On the same page: Insecure's Natasha Rothwell agreed, writing, 'Never thought the La La land debacle would ever be eclipsed but here we are'
The comedian George Wallace seemed to post a rare serious tweet criticizing Smith. 'Will Smith is lucky his momma wasn't there tonight. She would've kicked his a** for acting like that'
Uncalled for: Mark Hamill called the slap seen 'round the world the '#UgliestOscarMoment_Ever' and said comedians weren't 'adept' at handling 'violent physical assault'
Doesn't hold up: Rob Reiner wrote that there was 'no excuse' for what Smith had done and called the apparently justifications in his acceptance speech 'bulls***'
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