Will Smith slaps Chris Rock at Academy Awards Ceremony

[Magna]

One other issue I see with this altercation is a public presumption that Chris Rock was purposely or at least knowingly making fun of her medical condition. Until/unless Chris Rock says otherwise, it seems to me that it should be presumed that he was making a joke about her shaved head looking similar to Demi Moore's character's shaved head in the movie G.I. Jane and nothing more and literally having nothing to do with her medical condition.

A similar situation in my mind would be a boy with Tourette Syndrome out with one of his dad in public. Perhaps the boy blurts something offensive and a bystander reacts by saying: "Who are you, Andrew Dice Clay (or any other comedian known to be offensive)?" Then the dad punches the bystander's lights out. The dad is reacting (incorrectly) to the comment because the dad knows the son can't help it, the son has TS. The dad was offended by the bystander's remark and felt that it was a verbal attack on his disabled son. However...the bystander had no idea that the son had TS and was reacting to the words themselves and was not reacting to or making fun of the son's disability.

 

[tree]

 

[Neonatal RRT]

@Judge would probably be able to speak to this, but I don't think "verbal assault" is an actual crime from a legal perspective. Slander, defamation of character are legal issues, but I don't think the joke enters into those areas. I've also never heard of a legal situation where someone physically assaults another person as an aggressor in response to words, insults, etc and the words one says "cancel out" the crimes of assault and battery.

We're probably looking into this WAY too seriously. Legal,...not legal,...ethical,...moral,...irrelevant,...these are for peripheral discussions after the fact and not of ANY consequence in the moment. Will did the right thing. Human beings are, in my opinion, about 3 chin hairs away from being a chimpanzee,...98.6% to be exact. We can have delusions of grandeur about being "civilized", whatever that is,...but the bottom line is we are not much better than wild animals with a bit more intellect,...but not much. If anyone thinks that you can publicly humiliate my wife, on camera, amongst her peers, for how she looks after having an auto-immune disease (alopecia),...we are going to have a face-to-face. The least I would do would slap your face. Chris Rock was not commenting about her acting, or her behavior,...he was making a joke about her, as a person. For Will Smith to publicly apologize for slapping Chris,...not needed,...in fact, he shouldn't have.

 

[Suzette]

Part of me is now wondering why Jada didn't just put a wig on before showing up to the event?
I'm pretty certain she can afford a good one

Did you see her though? Oh my god! She looked stunningly beautiful!

 

[Suzette]

Oh, and I have to confess, I totally misunderstood the joke. I though Chris Rock was being complementary because G.I. Jane is a fierce character. I thought he was saying "Jada, you are beautiful and tough".
My husband explained it to me this morning.

 

[Streetwise]

Did you see her though? Oh my god! She looked stunningly beautiful!

If you watch the family red table talks on Facebook she goes into more detail

 

[Nervous Rex]

I wish I could find the quote I read some years ago - It basically said that in any conflict, the first party to resort to physical violence is wrong. It doesn't matter what the offense was before that.

I recall it being said about countries resorting to violence against one another, but I very much believe that it applies to all situations.

 

[Fino]

I wonder if the situation would have been prevented if Will Smith had been seated further toward the back. That's where he'll be next time!

 

[Raggamuffin]

"prices for an upcoming Rock show on Wednesday in Boston rose from $46 (£35.16) to $411 (£314)"

This is just odd. Human behaviour is quite strange and unnerving at times.

Ed

 

[Neonatal RRT]

I wish I could find the quote I read some years ago - It basically said that in any conflict, the first party to resort to physical violence is wrong. It doesn't matter what the offense was before that.

I recall it being said about countries resorting to violence against one another, but I very much believe that it applies to all situations.

I don't believe in all of that. The way I was brought up,...allowing harm to be done without some form of punishment is wrong. Now we can sit back and analyze all the moral and ethical implications of HOW to punish someone for the harm they have done,...but in the moment,...you are talking about human nature and upbringing. To make these lofty, moral, ethical,...but weak statements that ALL violence is wrong,...denies us our humanity. It denies who we are as a species. So, in this particular instance, a person publicly, on camera, in front of millions of people, in front of your professional peers, makes distasteful comments about how you look because of the auto-immune disease you have,...as a husband,...this demands,...DEMANDS,...an immediate, swift response. My wife and I looked at this situation,...and she agrees, if something like that happened to her, and I didn't respond like Will Smith did,...it would be grounds for divorce. These people who were witnesses to this and STILL lack the perspective and context,...who can sit there and criticize this response shows a significant lack of character. "I would have sued him..." There is something critically,...critically,...wrong with our sense of justice if a husband is not expected, allowed, and even applauded for a response like what Will Smith did,...which was quite measured and restrained.

 

[Judge]

I think we are getting off track, Will walked onto the Oscar stage and hit the host in the face in front of millions of people. If I had done that, security would have tackled me and I would have been in jail now, charged with assault and battery. Will got an award. People gave him a standing ovation and an award. I think we should let the silly celebrites deal with this on their own and just forget it. The whole thing is a joke. Which ironically is what started it.

Yeah. Time to bring some perspective to it all.

Well...they do indeed live in their own little world. Quite the "bubble", unless they tangle with law enforcement where their sense of privilege and entitlement often evaporates when they feel a tight pair of handcuffs around their wrists.

And their industry shamelessly- and endlessly promote$ itself. Another reason why I stopped watching the Oscar presentations decades ago. I mean, you don't see such spectacles over father of the year, or plumber of the year...etc. etc.. So many of us who do our jobs and do them quite well without such accolades.

And in most cases what these people do on their own time away from the camera is downright embarrassing at times. Causing some of us to wonder, "What kind of people are they?"

 

[LadyS]

On the plus side, the memes that have manifested have not disappointed ...

 

[Magna]

I was engaged for a while and if I had done what Will did, she would have left me. She would have dealt with it herself, she would have given him a verbal lashing and Chris Rock would have cried by the end of it. I`m the first to protect a loved one, I'll hit a dude to stop him if I have to, I have actually, but I don't beat up a guy on the Oscars stage because he told a bad joke. That is so over the top. Will was out of line and he needs anger management traning I would say.

Agreed. Each day that goes by seems to be bringing more clarity to the gravity of the situation.

• It would be insane for the Academy of Motion Pictures to do nothing in response. It would be "Bizzaro World".
• It's already insane that a physical assault occurred on international television and the assailant wasn't escorted from the premises and instead received one of the highest awards given out. Getting kicked out for assaulting someone happens even in dive bars.
• Two of the female hosts of the show, Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes both say they were not only triggered by the assault, they're still messed up from it. I concur with Wanda Sykes that Will Smith should also apologize to her and Schumer since they were the hosts of the show. Sykes said as hosts it was "their house" (attendees were the invited guests) which Smith disrespected.
• Although there are mixed feelings about whether Will Smith was right or wrong, how will his acting career fare after this? For every person that believes he was justified, there are just as many (perhaps more?) that believe he isn't. Also many people, other celebrities, etc have the opinion that Will Smith is pitiable based on his wife's public declarations of marital infidelity which were declared in a way that made a mockery of her own husband. As one commentator on a Youtube clip said, "rubbing his nose in it like he was a puppy."
• That's how I view the situation: I feel sorry for Will Smith. He's a human being and has feelings just like anyone else (re: wife's public declaration of infidelity and how great it was). I believe the issue may not have even really have been about the joke.
• Many noted people commenting on Youtube and in the media say they had no idea that Will Smith's wife had alopecia.
• I've also seen people opine that this was the "nail in the coffin" of Hollywood and if not that, undeniably a sad day, a ruinous situation that "cast a pall" as Jim Carrey said over the entire ceremony.
• I've also seen Youtube commentaries from other grown black men in show business who have the opinion that Will Smith's actions were actually the opposite of "manly". Shameful rather than manly.

 

[Judge]

With Will Smith resigning from the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences it may be a forgone conclusion that there's more punitive action in store for him. I suppose the real question is whether Hollywood studios will turn their back on him professionally rather than just a potentially rescinded Oscar award.

Both which are likely quite a punch to the gut of Will Smith.

Meanwhile Chris Rock's "stock" continues to soar. Yet neither will influence my ambivalence when it comes to going to the movies. And to think I used to love the movies...going to the theater every weekend. Oh well....

 

[LadyS]

Ok one more...

 

[Aspychata]

Think handling this in a mature way, confronting Chris by asking him no more hits at his wife at award shows or anywhere else. Your mom, your wife, your kids, leave it alone. Don't insult them.

 

[tree]

Attacking an female who is clearly suffering was uncalled for.

It's not clear to me that Chris Rock was aware that this woman was suffering
from anything. I know I have seen other women with their heads shaved
like that, and it was for style, not a disease. Seen around where I live,
not *celebrities.*

Chris Rock didn’t know Jada Pinkett Smith had alopecia before Oscars
Did Chris Rock Know Jada Pinkett Smith Has Alopecia?

 

[Slim Jim]

From the comfortable position in your home, Will Smith slapping Chris Rock is, no matter how horrible, very funny. It’s a great drama. A tragic comedy right there, a struggle, between two bigger than life individuals, glorified in the mass media, and we follow it, because we’re all infected from youth.

 

[Judge]

I'd think most celebrities are the last people who pay attention to the personal lives of other celebrities. After all, it's always been quite evident that most of them crave their privacy. So there really is no reason to assume that Chris Rock knew anything about Jada Pinkett's health issues.

 

[Aspychata]

If you are hosting a very big name show, you should be aware and at least research who you roast so that you don't commit a faux hair pas. But from l have read, there is a on going rift prior with these two. Queen of insults- Ms. Kathy Griffin.