At this point in the Will Smith-Chris Rock story, I am begging white people to just not have an opinion. Or better yet, y’all can have an opinion but you don’t have to share it with the class repeatedly as you talk over people of color. It’s fine if you sit out some conversations. The world won’t end. It’s even better if you just sit back and listen and allow your perspective to adjust based on what you hear. If that’s not your style and you really feel like something needs to be said, learn some easy-peasy non-committal fillers like “wow, that’s crazy” and “man, I can’t believe that happened” and “I’m going to pray on it.” Judd Apatow is one of those people who needs to sit out some conversations. Jim Carrey is another one. Carrey is currently promoting Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and he decided to go off on Will Smith… getting a standing ovation for winning an Oscar.
Jim Carrey is criticizing Hollywood for giving Will Smith a standing ovation when it was announced at the Oscars that he won best actor for “King Richard.” Smith’s Oscar victory occurred several minutes after he slapped Chris Rock while the comedian was presenting the documentary feature category. Rock made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s bald head, which she shaved last year after revealing she has alopecia.
“I was sickened,” Carrey told CBS’ Gayle King (via HuffPost). “I was sickened by the standing ovation. Hollywood is just spineless en masse and it really felt like this is a really clear indication that we aren’t the cool club anymore.”
Carrey said Smith “should’ve been” escorted out of the Oscars ceremony after he slapped Rock. King noted that Chris Rock declined to file a police report about the incident, but Carrey claimed that was only because the comedian “didn’t want the hassle.”
“I’d have announced this morning that I was suing Will for $200 million because that video is going to be there forever, it’s going to be ubiquitous,” Carrey said. “That insult is gonna last a very long time. If you want to yell from the audience and show disapproval or say something on Twitter [that’s fine]. But you do not have the right to walk up on stage and smack somebody in the face because they said words… [The slap] came out of nowhere because Will has something going on inside him that’s frustrated. I wish him the best. I have nothing against Will Smith. He’s done great things, but that was not a good moment. It cast a shadow over everyone’s shining moment last night…It was a selfish moment.”
Here’s my take, as an Indian-American woman, on Jim Carey: man, that’s crazy. I can’t believe that happened. I’m sure gonna pray on it.
Honestly, I was somewhat surprised that Will’s peers gave him a standing ovation when he won as well, but I took it as a sign that no matter what, Will still has friends in that room. No matter what, people still like him and that was largely why he won the Oscar in the first place, because he’s incredibly popular within Hollywood, because he has a body of work which is Oscar-worthy and he gave a specifically Oscar-worthy performance. Even in his Oscar speech – which was one of the most emotionally raw moments I’ve ever seen on television – he was sad, embarrassed and apologetic. It’s not like he went up there are threatened to smack everybody else who talked sh-t.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid.
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- Jim Carrey attends The Special Screening of “Sonic The Hedgehog” in Los Angeles on Wednesday, February 12th, 2020Photograph: © PacificCoastNews. Los Angeles Office (PCN): +1 310.822.0419 UK Office (Avalon): +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 sales@pacificcoastnews.com,Image: 563542075, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS – Los Angeles Office (PCN): +1 310.822.0419 UK Office (Avalon): +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 sales@pacificcoastnews.com, Model Release: no, Credit line: PacificCoastNews / Avalon
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- Tyler Perry, and Oscar® nominees Will Smith and Denzel Washington during the 94th Oscars® at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood in Los Angeles, CA, on Sunday, March 27, 2022.,Image: 673515395, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: Avalon Licensing Ltd. do not claim any Copyright of the attached image WORLD RIGHTS- Fee Payable Upon reproduction – For queries contact Avalon sales@Avalon.red London +44 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles +1 310 822 0419 Berlin +49 30 76 212 251 Madrid +34 91 533, Model Release: no, Credit line: Avalon.red / Avalon
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- Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith during the live ABC telecast of the 94th Oscars® at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood in Los Angeles, CA, on Sunday, March 27, 2022.,Image: 673515557, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: Avalon Licensing Ltd. do not claim any Copyright of the attached image WORLD RIGHTS- Fee Payable Upon reproduction – For queries contact Avalon sales@Avalon.red London +44 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles +1 310 822 0419 Berlin +49 30 76 212 251 Madrid +34 91 533, Model Release: no, Credit line: Avalon.red / Avalon
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- Will Smith attends the 2022 Vanity Fair Oscar Party Hosted By Radhika Jones celebrating the 94th annual Academy Awards at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on March 27, 2022 in Beverly Hills, California,Image: 673579164, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Will Smith, Credit line: – / JPI Studios / Avalon
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- Los Angeles, CA – Celebrities at ‘Sonic The Hedgehog’ special screening at Regency Village Theatre in Los Angeles, California. Pictured: Jim Carrey BACKGRID USA 12 FEBRUARY 2020 BYLINE MUST READ: MediaPunch / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Los Angeles, CA – Celebrities at ‘Sonic The Hedgehog’ special screening at Regency Village Theatre in Los Angeles, California. Pictured: Jim Carrey BACKGRID USA 12 FEBRUARY 2020 BYLINE MUST READ: MediaPunch / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
Those in glass houses, Jimmy boy. Those in glass houses.
And why was no one sickened when Brad Pitt got his ovation? Oooh, because he abused his child away from cameras. What I’m learning is that people are actually okay with the slap (“he should have slapped him offstage”), they just don’t want to see it. Got it.
I agree with Jim – I don’t think he should have slapped him at all. that being said if, he WAS going to hit him I’d have rathered he do it off camera so he didn’t overshadow everyone’s big win, including his own.
How about what he did to Alicia Silverstone and tried to do to Will Smith at the MTV awards years ago?
Jim needs to just sit down in his glass house and shut up.
Yes! The continued overwhelming support for Brad Pitt is far more sickening!! I wish that got more coverage!
Thank you. Because people keep saying it was violent and it caused them to get triggered. Seeing a bunch of mostly white people storm the Capitol was violent for me. Watching the police shoot and kill Amir Locke who was sleeping on his couch was more violent for me. I am just tired of everyone and their mother acting like Will Smith murdered Chris Rock live on air.
Amen, @Chillinindc. Amen.
preeeeeeaaacchhhh!!!!
If a slap is violent and triggering, I fear for society. Honest to God – if Will wanted to hurt Chris Rock, he would have – he COULD have. He slapped him.
Oh wow good point.
This remind me of the NFL not suspending that guy when security footage came out showing knocking out his then girlfriend in an elevator until the interior footage was released even though exterior footage was damaging enough.
THANK you. My mind immediately went to Pitt’s standing ovation. Having friends and being beloved in Hollywood doesn’t mean Jack. It just means you’ll get work again in an insidious “I’ve got yours if you get mine” way. What cool kids club? It’s always been the “cruel men’s club.”
And I am sickened by his anti-vaccines articles and public statements, so be it.
Jim Carrey needs to sit down. I am still “sickened” by what we all learned about how he treated his ex-girlfriend before she committed suicide. I am “sickened” by the allegations of the STD’s he gave her without informing her. Honestly, he need to STFU.
I always think of this when I see him. It seems very little people know about it and he’s still a beloved celebrity. I can’t get over it and don’t find him to be a good person. Sickens me that people like Ariana Grande continue to act like he’s an amazing legend.
I dated someone once with full blown malignant NPD. Not the buzzword kind of the internet armchair kind, the real deal. The sociopathic kind. Jim Carrey’s treatment of his ex girlfriend throughout the circumstances leading to her death, to me, read like a play by play of the kind of emotional abuse associated with clinically diagnosed, malignant, NPD. I’ve never been able to look at him the same way either and it’s so tragic what happened to her. I also am often surprised how much was glossed over and how his reputation recovered.
that documentary about him playing Andy Kaufman was so bizarre too, I felt like it showed pretty plainly what a psycho he was, but I think it was redemptive to a lot of people, somehow.
I can recommend Kareem Addul Jabbar’s take… very thoughtful.
There are a few who don’t care for his opinion, either. I found it interesting.
Agree. Kareem’s thoughtful comments, especially about the romanticization of the so-called protection The Smack has garnered, brought the narrative back to reality.
ETA — in contrast, Jim Carrey is the absolute LAST person who should be giving an opinion on this or pretty much anything.
The Kareem whose son stabbed his neighbor? That Kareem?
I don’t know anything about his son, but he can’t have an opinion bc of something his son might have done? That doesn’t make sense. I hadn’t seen KAJ’s comments but I have read other things he’s written, and so I’m going to seek that out. Thanks for the tip, @MoBiMom
@LocoMoco yes that Kareem. Though I tend to think of him first as a legacy athlete, and second as a writer and filmmaker. Of course I’ve also always found his work as an avid amateur historian to be fascinating too…
So interesting that you would think first of that completely unrelated news story that really doesn’t define him as a person! So interesting.
Oh my my my my, so Kareem is now responsible for his son’s actions? But I thought Jada Pinkett or Jayden were not responsible for what Will Smith did, no? This is absolute madness. And I don’t agree with the notion than only black people should have an opinion on this matter either, but whatever. Will Smith behaved like the bully that he is; he has a history from his fresh prince of Belair times so…And just because some other abuser got a standing ovation doesn’t make Will Smith violent attack on Chis Rock any more acceptable. Will Smith, Brad Pitt and all of the them are in the same category, violent men that attack and assault people but get people to make excuses for them because of reasons…..
Kareem typically has well thought out commentary. But in this instance I think he veered too much into “respectability behavior”. Will embarrassed all black folk by his behavior. Bullshit. And there was no compassion or mention of Jada and what she experienced by the foolishness of both men. Kareem can miss me on this one.
And he had the nerve to say that Will disrespected Black Woman….really. Really, does he know anything about Chris Rock?
What you said. That was a terrible essay and he’s getting dragged for it. Even Bernice King had to come out and say being respectable doesn’t stop people from trying to kill you. Kareem has that old school mentality of always be right and proper around white people as if Black people are some animals who need taught manners.
Was he the one saying that Will’s actions made the entire Black community look bad? Because if that’s the one, then he’s full of BS.
Agree. I thought it was thoughtful and nuanced.
Yeah, seeing how Kareem basically said Will Smith made all Black people look bad, he had a bad take as well that should not be promoted. Will Smith had a lapse of judgment that is reflected upon him and impacts his character and image. That’s it. That’s as far as it goes. Some elder people have that whole “don’t look bad in front of the yt folk” narrative down and we need to end it.
I think Bernice King had some really thoughtful comments.
And I should add, I think your point is spot on, Kaiser!
I appreciate you writing that. I’ve quieted down since Monday & just read comments & articles since.
I think a lot of industry people saw the smack as a workplace issue, instead of a personal issue. That might be why they are commenting. Of course, Weinstein and others were assaults around the workplace. But they weren’t so public ally flagrant. I imagine that for everyone (esp White actors and production crew) commenting against Smith, they are fearful that a line of professional conduct was crossed, and can’t be crossed back. And they feel unprotected (cf firearms on site after the Baldwin shooting).
I think in this case it’s comedians recognising themselves in Chris Rock (they all tell or told questionable jokes and roasted people are often offended). They fear if this isn’t condamned, more punches will follow.
This. Comedians don’t want it to be acceptable to storm the stage and they are correct. There are so many layers to unpack here. My mind also went to security issues with celebs in general. I mean, celebs travel with an entourage for their own security, and then an incident like this happens when they are among their own with no visible security. I mean, could anyone have rushed the stage or was everyone caught off guard?
Yes I’m sure comedians are shook cause it could have been one of them up on that stage getting the shit slapped out of them for saying something to piss someone off. But here’s the thing. Instead of evolving their comedy and moving on with the times, comedians are stuck and clinging to their old ways. Punching down and telling demeaning jokes about people’s personal appearances. What used to work isn’t as socially acceptable and they need to figure out new ways of being funny. Society has moved on from the Don Rickles and Rodney Dangerfield type comedy. Those guys were of their time and their comedy worked for those times. It’s time for today’s comedians to do the same.
+100 @Guest
So, I think this part of what he said was right –
“He’s done great things, but that was not a good moment. It cast a shadow over everyone’s shining moment last night.” It did cast a shadow. It certainly cast a shadow over Will’s moment. Will Sunday be remember as the night Will slapped Chris Rock on live tv, or the night Will won an Oscar? Which moment will be the bigger one in entertainment history? We just don’t know at this point. I know which moment Will wants to be the bigger moment, but only time will tell.
but being sickened? spineless? (I mean a lot of them are spineless but not because of that lol.) I admit the ovation did surprise me, but looking back I think it was less about condoning Smith’s actions and more about saying that even with actions that many in the room disagreed with, they still thought he did great work in the movie and that he wasn’t going to be a pariah based on that moment. (also at that point many in the room may not have realized it wasn’t scripted, if they weren’t checking the Australian and Japanese broadcast like we were at home, lol.)
I think this situation is complicated and I think people like Jim Carrey adding a very strong opinion into the mix don’t really help. It’s okay for white men to just sit this one out.
If you think him adding his opinion to the mix is unnecessary then just leave it at that. Why even share “this part of what he said was right?” Goodness.
Not that Becks1 needs defending but she’s always fair and has good takes on situations. Her opinion is valued by a lot of the regular CB posters. I’m saying this because I really don’t want to cause division and friction between those of us that routinely post.
ALL OF THIS^^^
yeah, I’m mixed and the idea that white people can’t comment on this because it involves black people is something else. everyone watched him get hit in real time – you can have an opinion on whether you think that was an appropriate reaction.
I do think white people need to be careful about the language they use to discuss the incident.
Part of the problem though is the inconsistency of their responses. Being compassionate towards some, i.e. their fellow white people (see my post re: Nick Lachey, or the response to Alec Baldwin when he literally killed a person) but wanting black people who commit similar or even lessor offenses to be thrown in jail or barred from Hollywood.
yeah, any calls for him to be arrested are overblown, IMO. I do think that allowing him to stay, give a five minute tearful speech, and party later on was not a good look though. and I think if he hadn’t been the presumptive winner, he would have been removed.
also, not everyone was particularly kind to Alec Baldwin (just ask most gun owners what their thoughts were lol).
Nick Lachey? Did he smack someone? Is he still around? I’m honestly asking, I will have to google.
I don’t think Will needed to be arrested but I think the Academy should have asked him to leave. I think that millions of people watched the show or clips from this incident and are allowed to have an opinion on it. I don’t understand why white people (or anyone NOT black) can’t look at this and say ‘wow that was an overreaction, especially from the man that was cracking up at the joke 10 seconds before he slapped Chris’. WW need to shut up a lot (I’m a WW) but in this case? It’s mind-boggling to me that people think nobody is allowed to talk about how f*cked up this whole situation is.
@Erica, if white women are going to create imaginary scenarios to let their racism show, then they need to shut the eff up. And yes, Nick Lachey did smack a photographer (a woman).
@Lia, I googled and just saw. Holy crap. I thought it was something that happened long ago. I don’t understand how people like Nick, Will, cops, people do this sort of stuff when…I mean…it’s 2022. EVERYONE HAS CELL PHONES. There are cameras EVERYWHERE. “Cleary I overreacted” Nick said. Clearly you dumbass.
No, people aren’t saying white folks are banned from responding. Most are saying they shouldn’t simply because they are most likely to come out their mouths with some out of pocket nonsense steeped in unexamined racism.
I mean…. people are literally saying all over the Internet that white people don’t get to have an opinion on this lol.
It’s not they don’t get to have an opinion it’s when the opinion really is about their personal issues. When they speak as if Will smacked them across the face the same way an abuser would smack them, that kind of talk. Sometimes the tears are just too much.
The number of white women who said this triggered them and turned it into a what about this can I make about me moment was a lot.
I’m not going to ever think a show of physical violence between two adults in front of a room of their professional colleagues and broadcast around the world to their customers (those who buy tickets to their films/comedy shows and made those people rich) over a joke, FROM A COMEDIAN HIRED TO ROAST THE AUDIENCE, is appropriate. That was a televised work event in their industry, with everyone there representing various companies, not just a party.
It was an unpleasant moment and the offense should have been addressed later, privately. Will said he regrets it, rambled on about love being the most important thing, but he wound up overshadowing others and his own win with his impulsive choice. We’ll all move on from it any minute now and I think his apology suffices if Chris Rock agrees, but Will made himself the center of attention for the whole event and who knows if Jada is okay with that.
@Kaye: Chris was a Presenter not the host. His job wasn’t to “roast’ the Audience. His job was announcing the winner of an award in other words READ the teleprompter.
It’s because white people keep saying things like Jada should have not been embarrassed cause GI Jane is so cool and many of them calling for the police to arrest Will Smith and saying he should go to jail.
Those white people should be called out. But me or someone saying ‘I cannot believe Will just smacked Chris on live TV’ isn’t exactly a reason for someone to respond to me and tell me to stay out of it either.
I feel that way about GI Jane and I’m not white.
Do I think he should be arrested? No.
Do I think I would be arrested if I had done that? Yes.
I think it should depend on what what the white people are saying- whether they are being allies or whether they are centering their own feelings.
It’s really gross imo to say Will Smith must be a domestic abuser, an out of control brute, or only good for jail, based on what happened (racist stereotypes everywhere), or that it reflects poorly on all black people (a white person is never responsibilized for their whole race, neither should a black person). If you’re white, don’t center your feelings in the narrative (thanks, Jim). You don’t need to trivialize what Will did, or deny violence isn’t a good solution no matter how mad you are, to also see the slap as a limited one time incident by a man clearly struggling.
But if you’re calling bad or racist responses out, and asking for compassion towards everyone, how does that hurt, even if you’re white? Genuine question (I’m white).
@SaraTor: We need to hear more voices like you and Kaiser. Just use reason and logic. That’s it, nothing more nothing less.
@sarator spot on.
Great comment. You nailed it.👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Jim Carrey sexually assaulted Alicia Silverstone when he kissed her without her consent (he was in his 30s, she was 19) when he collected an award from her. The video was all over twitter yesterday. So he needs to sit the F down and STFU.
Everyone who is loudly shouting their opinions from the rooftop needs to review their own backgrounds before commenting because sooooo many people’s own violent or otherwise inappropriate behavior is coming to life. Black Twitter isn’t having any of it.
Also interesting the response (empathetic and compassionate) that Nick Lachey got when he publicly admitted and apologized for attacking a paparazzi outside his house, while we see the completely opposite response to Will Smith, even from the exact same people. 🙄
*to light
Be careful of throwing stones
Kaiser: Your edit to Jim’s response was well stated. You can disagree with someone without making it all about you. I’m 100% certain as the days go by Will regrets how he handled the situation. In an emotional moment sanity may abandon you. It would have been beautiful if he could’ve given Chris a verbal dress down when he received his award about disrespecting his wife and how much he hurt her by making fun of her condition. I’m still going to watch whatever movie he makes, and I would NEVER step foot in ANYTHING that involves Chris Rock!
“It would have been beautiful if he could’ve given Chris a verbal dress down when he received his award about disrespecting his wife and how much he hurt her by making fun of her condition”
I wish that Will had done this. Either during his acceptance speech OR this would have been the moment to grab the microphone a la Kanye and say “hey Chris Rock, stop punching down on my wife and while we’re at it, stop punching down on all black women. Don’t play dumb, you know Jada has alopecia so your “joke” is just an insult. We see you, now please apologize.”
That would have been a wonderful way to call out the root cause of this jackassery. The fact that Will centered his feelings and threw a tantrum that sucked all the air out of the room is what sits badly with me. Now we are all talking about two mens bad behavior when we could be focusing the conversation on the fundamental sh*ttiness that started all of this, which is Rock’s misogynoir.
I think what people are missing is that two things can be true. You can agree that Will’s reaction was wrong, but you can also understand why he did it. I would just say to folks, read his apology and let that be the end of it.
Agreed. I see a lot of white people working really hard to be personally offended by this when it’s not about about us. There is a lot of nuance and intersectionality here that we should be discussing, ie how American society put so much on black women. Also the Academy’s inability to handle anything appropriately.
I find the “it’s just words” crowd to be pretty disingenuous on a night when Ariana Debose, an openly queer WOC, used her win to speak up about the “don’t say gay” bill in Florida.
A public figure engaged in a public act — people are going to have an opinion, and can express that opinion, and the rest of us can ignore the opinion. We always have that right. And frankly, hearing what people say is often illuminating as it reveals a bit of who THEY are, so I don’t mind culling through the nonsense.
@Josephine, well said. I am always fascinated by people’s responses to things, it gives insight to personalities that our fake social interactions don’t always give.
Oh people can have opinions on it, it would be weird not to.
But so very many of my fellow white women are making this all about them, and that’s what they’re being called out in.
They didn’t applaud the slap; they applauded the Oscar win and performance.
I’m really frustrated by the collective judgment of how people reacted in the moment.
They should have, I can’t believe they did/didn’t is a lot of Monday morning quarterbacking.
The last thing I want to do is defend celebs. I wouldn’t be on this page if that was my bag but this incident involved some of the least likely candidates for this and it was a shock people couldn’t have expected. That audience was still processing.
And really Carrey is bothered because he’s centering himself, because he’s also a comedian with outdated humor who regularly takes potshots based on things we should never have found funny. He’s just upset because he thinks he could be in Rock’s position.
This, 100% this SNARCASMQUEEN
really can’t stand jim carrey, and who cares what he thinks at all? isn’t he still pushing people to not vaccinate their kids?
I know my comment will be deleted, but I’ll say this anyway. Why do we have to bring up other peoples bad behavior, why can’t we stay on topic. Will Smith was unable to stay dignified on one of the biggest night in his life. He also took away other peoples shine at the Oscars. Will had several other options to address the slight that a comic made about his wife. I saw a video of Jada saying she does not give a c**p of what people say about her bald head. I believed she looks beautiful bald and she was looking beautiful at the Oscars. I still believe that there was something going on with Will that has nothing to do with Jadas alopecia. I have not read this but I remember about 1990 Will was arrested in Philly for assaulting someone who he worked with. IMO, Will has some anger problem that needs to be addressed, jmo.
He talks in his book about how his memories from childhood are often wrapped up in fear and inaction, and he wants to spend his life making up to his mother that he did nothing when he saw his dad punch her.
so I don’t feel that it’s surprising that he defended his wife with violence, unfortunately.
Because she is allowed to feel anyway about it but having someone make fun of her and trying to demean her is not the same thing at all. You all want to use that video as if she can’t be upset about being fun of.
I don’t know why the majority of the blame is not placed on the person who started this violence, Chris Rock. Chris Rock’s wack joke “ruined” the event, and it didn’t even ruin anything. Hollywood is still ticking. People were still talking about fashion and wins. So “ruined” is such an extreme. If someone doesn’t like the attention this is getting, then place the blame on the media, who are running it into the ground, and Chris Rock for starting this situation.
The day after the Oscars, in the media I follow, the winners were mentioned as an afterthought and fashion wasn’t mentioned at all (it was during the red carpet event before the show, but not after the event). Everything was about Will (and Jada). Now everything is still about Will and also about celebrity reactions to the slap. The winners? Nope.
Please reflect on your assumptions. Black men and women are always expected to remain “dignified” and above it all when they’re harassed, insulted, etc. And if they snap, they get penalized for it twice as hard. Neither the joke NOR Smith’s actions happened in a vacuum.
Rock’s comments about a black woman’s hair in a predominantly white space were intentional, and he almost certainly knew better as the producer of Good Hair and a black man himself.
If the problem here is violence, let’s stay focused on all the violence (ie racism) black people are subjected to every day.
“Other people’s shine”…If anyone wants to hear more about Questlove’s win, he had a guest segment on Fallon, I was waiting to hear more about Summer of Soul! It’s on youtube and controversy free. He went to work as soon as the Oscar broadcast ended, it’s a good story.
I also want to know why Carrey is shocked by the reaction when the audience years ago all knew about Polanski’s background, had a whole awards season to contemplate it, many voted for him anyway, and then they gave him a standing ovation anyway
But your sickened and shocked that an audience with nearly no time to process applauded an actor who did far less? I mean hell, there were probably people still wondered if it all had been a prank?
This truly makes me wonder about their relationship. It looked like he was laughing but then he saw that Jada wasn’t and he snapped. I don’t get it. Was it because he thought she was hurt or because it would have caused a problem for him and his wife later on. **not blaming anyone or making excuses. Honestly, just made me think about what their dynamic is like.
Married 15 years….If someone made a joke about my physical appearance on national tv and everyone in the room laughed at me including my husband….yes we would have a problem.
Ok. Because this was my thought too. I was talking about it with my husband and I said “if we’re out and someone mocks me because I’ve gained weight would you react?” And he would because it would be hurtful to me. At the same time if someone insulted him as a “joke” I would absolutely come to his defense. I think that is just human nature when it comes to loved ones. Again, not condoning violence, making excuses, etc. Just thoughts.
Will clearly stated he acted on emotions. He saw his wife in distress, and he acted. I like you am not condoning violence what I’m saying is I completely understanding acting on the emotions at the moment and the regret Will is probably feeling today. Once a boy was bulling my daughter at school. I spent time with her working on words to express herself to get the guy to stop bulling her. When my husband found out about the bulling he went to her school without discussing it with me and demanded that the school put an end to it immediately or they would have hell to pay. My daughter was so proud of her dad for defending her. Men take action when they love someone. They want to fix it immediately.
Have you ever been to a comedy show? I’ve been to several and if you like the comedian there’s something about everyone else around you laughing and the comedian’s delivery that makes you laugh at pretty much everything they say, because you’re having a good time and you catch the giggles. I’ve been to shows where I start laughing at a mean joke as a reflex and then my brain kicks in and I’m like excuse me what did he just say? If there were a camera pointed at me people would see me laughing at a joke that 3 seconds later I’m absolutely not laughing at.
Both men were wrong. But this desire by some to see Will Smith hauled off to jail and punished bothers me. I’m sure Will realizes how much he messed up and hopefully will speak to why what he did was wrong and inexcusable. And the same ones howling for Will to face the consequences of his actions, have said nothing about Chris Rock’s tasteless joke cause it was “just words.” Where are the cries for Chris to publicly apologize to Jada?
Also, Chris Rock is benefiting from “the smack”
Chris Rock Comedy Tour Sees Surge in Ticket Sales After Will Smith Slap
https://variety.com/shop/chris-rock-comedy-tour-tickets-will-smith-slap-1235217103/
I do wonder, if Will hadn’t slapped Chris, would the posts and conversations and judgement be about Chris Rock’s insensitive and hurtful joke? Would he be facing a backlash, or, would nobody even remember it three days later?
Nobody would’ve remembered the joke. Maybe one or two articles, but that would be it. Chris Rock knows he can punch down and it will be okay.
Had Will addressed Chris with his words, yes Will would be a hero today. Most people probably wanted him to defend his wife it was the smack that was the problem. While I understand the emotions in the moment I would have rather he used his words, but I also totally get why he lost control. Love can make you do crazy things it’s just that once the emotions have settled the regret is overwhelming.
I think that would depend on how much the media commented on Jada’s facial expression after the joke. If Will hadn’t gotten up, would they even bother with her unamused face? They might have written that she’s not a good sport or something, and then the truth would come out.
The joke in itself, if you don’t know the background and most people don’t, just sounds like a slight dig at a haircut. It’s not even edgy or funny or anything. I think it wouldn’t even be reported on. Forgotten a second later.
@Songs, I’ll tell you what would have happened. Chris Rock would be back for another go at Jada at some point in the future and he would as cruel as he wished to be, because he would have gotten away with it.
I wish Will had handled it differently, but I’m on his side for doing something about it immediately.
Rock owes Jada an apology and the longer he waits to do it, the worse he looks IMO. As @Guest says we should all be clamoring for that apology to come forth.
It would have been talked about briefly but then forgotten – which is unfair to Jada, who deserved none of that disrespect. Chris seems to have personal beef with her, and used his time on the world’s biggest stage to adlib an insult her appearance.
I’m definitely in the “both made mistakes” camp, and for the sake of everyone involved, really wish Will’s response had not been physical, because it changes things. I do find it telling that Chris has not apologized to Jada.
Thank you. People don’t seem to get the concept of Chris Rock was wrong to say it and go after Jada at all. instead it’s she should have laughed and he should have laughed and been above it.
IMO, anyone else could have made that dumb, lame joke and Will would not have reacted the way he did. Chris is the instigator in this situation. Yes, Will was wrong and should not have gone up on that stage and slapped Chris. Will should have definitely exercised better self control and I’m sure he wishes he had. But for whatever reason, Will snapped at Chris making that joke. There are nuances to life and people need to have some compassion and understanding as to why Will snapped like that. And not be going crazy hellbent on seeing a black man cuffed and hauled off to jail on national tv for their entertainment. I’m wondering if all these people claiming they were “triggered” have a deep seated fear of a black planet. Seems that folks still harbor uprising thoughts in their sub conscious.
Yeah Jim stay out of the this.
I’m sickened and shocked that anyone gives a f*** about what Jim Carrey has to say. This is a man who is no doubt indirectly responsible for the deaths of children due to the anti-vaxx garbage he peddled with Jenny, and is now promoting a kid’s movie. Don’t forget the suicide of his ex-girlfriend, who directly blamed his behavior.
No matter what your thoughts are this event will be a part of Will’s legacy. All the years of hard work and this will be in the 1st or 2nd paragraph of his obituary.
Will built his career on being the “good guy.” He went out of his way to not cuss in his raps and has spent his entire career cultivating that good guy image. He’s always been perceived as hilarious and brilliant in everything he’s done. That’s why it was so shocking. He would’ve been unanimously celebrated had he not used violence. He could’ve pulled a Kanye, gone up on stage as he did, then verbally put Chris Rock in his place. He would still be defending his wife and he would’ve come out of it looking like the most amazing husband and man alive. He would’ve unequivocally been called a hero.
Also, white women are not a monolith. To group all white women in the same category would be same as putting all black men or all black women in the same category. This situation has so many subtle nuances to it. Everyone is an individual with an individual history. Will Smith is not a representative for all black men and Jada is not a representative for all black women. It’s easy to have a knee jerk reaction based on each of our own life experiences. Chris Rock was horribly cruel to Jada. Not all black men are cruel to women. Not all white people are racist. Will Smith reacted with violence on the biggest night of his career. Defending his wife against someone who has spent years ripping her apart was not a mistake or inappropriate. The violence was.
You’re so right. It’s such a gd shame. Not just Will but for so many people who have worked long and hard to get themselves there that night.
I agree with Jim. I’m appalled that a man was battered in front of the world and the assaulted was allowed to return to his seat and then accept a prestigious award. I’ve no doubt that if a female were on stage and Smith slapped her, we’d be having a different conversation. I find it disgusting how the patriarchy and toxic masculinity have contributed to shaping the views of those who support physical violence. Women who I thought were feminists are really showing their own internalized misogyny.
This is what so many people have been saying. You’re creating imaginary scenarios to get even more outraged. He didn’t slap a woman, we don’t know what would’ve happened if it was a woman making the same joke.
None of that stuff happened.
I see the lesson. “mind your business” was not taught to all cause some of these celebrities are rightfully being called out for their hypocrisy and really should be quiet about this Will/Chris thing when they themselves have done the same or worse.
I am so tired of these hot takes –
AH MAH GAH! He could have KILLED him. NO VIOLENCE! The ridiculous pearl clutching and hypocrisy are stomach churning. The Jim Carreys and Judd Apatows of the world need to shut it.
Many things can be true at the same time –
1. Will Smith probably should not have lost his shit on live television. Not only is his win going to have an asterisk by it for the rest of his career, his actions took attention away from some well earned and historic wins for other actors and performers.
2. Now that he has apologized, Chris Rock should offer a public apology as well. His joke was stupid and he made it personal – it wasn’t written that way so he went out of his way to go after her specifically and apparently, not for the first time.
3. There is a whole other nuanced, cultural discussion to be had about why this particular “joke” fell so hard, but it isn’t for white people to be dissecting. It’s not about us.
The audience reaction baffles me, I admit. It could be shock, it could be a knee jerk reaction, I don’t know. The Academy’s reaction is zero percent surprising – the Slappening is the best thing that could have happened for them because not only did it draw massive attention to the show, it distracted everyone from a broadcast that was otherwise a dumpster fire from start to finish. So many horrible production decisions – it’s like every year the new producers look at the bad choices of the previous year and go “hold my beer”.
The audience reaction is all about their money and ego. That’s it. That’s the bottom line. The Oscars is a huge advertisement and inflating monstrous already egos.
It’s coming out that Will wanted to leave but producers told him to stay. Which doesn’t surprise me even a little bit. Most of the backlash should be at the Academy for not pausing that show, doing a get right with everyone, telling Will and family they needed to leave and telling Chris Rock he needed to leave too.
Grabbyhands
Real questions… Chris rock attacks Jada regularly? How did he go after her before and what was the context?
And to Will’s apology. Wasn’t it just a social media post put out while still receiving praise for his actions? There was no direct apology between the men at all to my knowledge.
I also haven’t been following this mess as much as others.
I agreed with Jim on this. There’s just no excuse for violence. What I saw was a mentally ill man overreact on live TV. And then the room full of enablers just pretended as if nothing happened. It’s ridiculous and Hollywood should be embarrassed.
I wonder what the Monday morning quarterbacking would be if this were two women.
They dragged Jim Carrey so hard on Twitter, and I love it. He was trending last night for all of the wrong reasons. I love how Black Twitter doesn’t play. Zoe Kravtiz thought she was cute to hop on the drag Will bandwagon, and then Black Twitter dragged her via Instagram and finished it off on Twitter. Minding yo business is free. Just ask Lupita. She’s out her dropping photos glowing, and she sat directly behind Will when this went down.
@IMARA219, lol…minding your business is free is the best comment of the day. I have no dog in this fight. Just here to read the comments while drinking my morning hot tea.
Someone on Twitter just pulled out a fainting couch for some of y’all to fall out on after you’re done with your digital lynching.
I’m sickened that you made the lives of all the crew working on the grinch a living hell and drove the acclaimed make up artist into therapy.
Stop using this to get your face back into relevance, Jim.
If this happened in your neighbor’s house, Will probably would have been arrested. It’s not that deep. It’s different rules for rich celebs and the show’s producers.
Will and Jada are elite Hollywood power couple. Rules are always the easiest for them and much is changed to their comfort. This has been covered extensively even here.
Jim Carrey is friends with Chris Rock and is a comedian, he’s speaking from that lense and not considering his whiteness. However I can see maybe why it would be taken that he shouldn’t say anything – but you ask a question and on live tv he’s not supposed to answer?
And Jim Carrey is a comedy legend he didn’t need added air time so don’t even @ me with that. He’s known to also hate the Hollywood scene so he’s literally just being true to himself.
Agree
I’m gonna pray on it
Fellow white ladies: This is not the moment to be like “why can’t I comment whatever I like.” Have some compassion for Will and Jada. —“Why should I have compassion for Will and Jada.” Come on …. please. It’s time to take a break. — “I don’t need to be lectured.” — “I can have an opinion on violence.” Why do I even try.
Oh good. We can all breathe easier now and go home because Jim Carrey has spoken. 🤮
Has any black comedian commented on “the slap”? So far I’ve only read about white comedians commenting.
Yes several said it was not okay , including Amanda Seales who said a comedienne shouldn’t have to worry about getting assaulted on stage
Wanda Sykes has.
“Hollywood is just spineless en masse and it really felt like this is a really clear indication that we aren’t the cool club anymore”.. lol, what? What world is he living in? Oh wait-
Jim, we’ve all switched baristas.
“it really felt like this is a really clear indication that we aren’t the cool club anymore.”
So NOW they are not the cool club anymore.
Basically for Jim Carrey the cool club still cool with Harvey weinstein, Polanski, Casey Affleck, mel Gibson, allen, pitt, etc etc.
I guess I need to improve my English vocabulary because I was using wrong the cool word.
Dios mio
Someone condemned violence and they get attacked. That’s the takeaway.
In this world why is peace not promoted more for all?
Thank you. Sorry, but as a black person, I am triggered by the violence that is thrown our way- daily, almost hourly…
I’m a WW. I do realize my opinion wasn’t asked for but am I alone in feeling very sad for Will Smith? I’ve suffered through long bouts of depression; they absolutely do not manifest as just sadness. Irritability, indecisiveness, and occasional blow-ups are part of the experience (especially when I was in a complicated marriage). I see a man struggling who just could not keep his mask up at that moment. I’m having a hard time expressing it, but basically I feel Will is suffering. It’s hard for me to muster sympathy for wealthy famous people, I’m extremely poor thanks to my mental health and think if I had resources I’d manage my illness better. But all I saw was a man hurting; the emotions were too much and he let it all out for the world to see. I’ve been there and it was confusing & painful for everyone around me. I hope he gets help, he may have cPTSD from his childhood, I have no idea but he needs to work through it because violence against another person is never cathartic or helpful in the long run.
My opinion is I never liked Will Smith before this once I found out he was in Co$. And I don’t understand why violence should be praised.
It goes no further than that.
Kaiser, girl, from a black sista that’s been reading your take on things – THANK you so much about your recommendations to white folks on this matter. I appreciate you, girl.
I’m pretty sure plenty more despicable hollywood men get a standing ovation before this seeing how many of them still very much support woody allen and that rapist who ran to France? I forgot his name tbh
meh
Otherwise i think the previous jokes Chris Rock made at the Oscars at Jada’s expense were of poor taste and not funny at all. There were already tensions and I bet Jada was stressed to know Chris would present again and possibly humiliate her, again.
When you love someone you can’t stand to see them sad and in pain, Will is definitely in love with his wife, and i Can understand why he reacted that badly.
He’s wife got litterally humiliated at the Oscars,for the second Time, for the whole world to see… He Lost it’s temper and went to defend it’s wife honor in an agressive way, i have some sympathy because it was absolutelly genuine and i think he actually went quite soft as he seemed to want to knock him down for good.
It was Silly for Rock to act this way, he should have known wayyyy better. bullying someone’s publicly is absolutelly not fun, its just lazy and cruel. Its easy to bully,its easy to talk. But it’s a whole other thing when you’re directly facing the consequences.
The Real problem here that no one’s dignity should have been hurt publicly this way, during an Oscars party, hosts should not have to be afraid of being the butt of the joke.
Here is my white lady opinion 😉💛
Dear Chris Rock,
READ.THE.ROOM.