It looks like the enduring image of the 94th Academy Awards will inevitably be Will Smith. going on stage to slap Chris Rock in retribution for a prank on his wife.
While presenting the award for Best Rock Documentary, he joked: “Jada, I love you. GI Jane 2, can’t wait to see you,” in an apparent reference to Smith’s wife’s alopecia.
Amid reports that the Academy may take Oscar for Best Actor for SmithSmith issued a much stronger apology than he had delivered in his acceptance speech that notably omitted Rock.
“Violence in all its forms is poisonous and destructive,” Smith said in a statement released by his publicist and posted on Instagram.
“My behavior at the Academy Awards last night was unacceptable and inexcusable. Teasing at my expense is part of the job, but a joke about Jada’s medical condition was too much for me and I reacted emotionally.
“I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I am ashamed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness.”
The 53-year-old actor also apologized to fellow attendees, viewers and the Williams family.
Smith’s win was awarded for his role as Richard Williams, father of Venus and Serena, in the biopic ‘King Richard’.
“I’m a work in progress,” Smith added.
Reviews from the red carpet
While Smith himself now seems to regret his violent outburst, reactions online and on the red carpet were mixed, to say the least.
‘West Side Story’ star Paloma Garcia-Lee, who was at the Oscars supporting co-star Ariana DeBose, said: “Honestly, I thought it took the joy out of my friend winning, and I bought my mind back.” . to that one.”
As the first queer woman of color to win Best Supporting Actress, DeBose was a landmark win for the night.
“I was like, wow, there is so much to celebrate tonight and so much joy in this.
“I don’t want to say I didn’t pay attention to myself, but I thought, I don’t need this. My friend won an Oscar,” the actress continued.
Actor Kevin Costner also disapproved of Smith’s outburst, although he noted that Rock’s joke about Jada Pinkett-Smith was off the mark.
“Listen, no one should be doing that. IT’S OKAY. So we shouldn’t even go to the second moment. No one should be doing the former,” the ‘Dances with Wolves’ star said.
Alberto Mieglo, winner of the best animated short film award, said he initially believed the moment was choreographed, but agreed with Garcia-Lee that the incident “overshadowed” the evening.
“I’m sure you both feel…very bad and nervous about it. And it probably outshone the whole show. So let’s try to forget about that,” the filmmaker said.
Comedians horrified by Smith’s slap
In the comedy rooms, many standups and writers expressed their dismay at Smith’s actions.
“Let me tell you something, it is very bad practice to go on stage and physically assault a comedian,” comedian Kathy Griffin wrote on Twitter.
Griffin was the subject of numerous threats on his life in 2017 after he posed with a Donald Trump mask made to look like the president’s severed head. The comedian herself claimed at the time that she had to cancel concerts due to security issues at the venues.
“Now we all have to worry about who wants to be the next Will Smith in comedy clubs and theaters,” he added.
Comedian actor George Takei also criticized Smith for losing his cool when so many people were watching.
“A lot of people, especially kids, look up to actors,” the ‘Star Trek’ actor said.
“That’s why we have an obligation to try to be good role models. With celebrity comes responsibility.
Comedy writer Judd Apatow was also very critical of Smith, criticizing in a now-deleted Twitter post that he described the attack as “out of control and violence.”
Noting that celebrities have been the butt of jokes for decades, Apatow said, “You’ve heard a million jokes about them in the last three decades. They are not new to the world of Hollywood and comedy. He lost his mind”.
Meanwhile, voice actor Mark Hamill called the incident the ugliest Oscar moment in history, tweeting: “Stand-up comedians are very adept at handling hecklers. Violent physical aggression… not so much.”
A problem with Hollywood
Reflecting on the event, comedian and actor Jim Carrey has harshly criticized Smith’s actions and those of the audience.
“I was grossed out by the standing ovation,” Carrey told CBS in response to Smith later receiving his best actor award. “I felt like Hollywood is just boneless en masse.”
“It really felt like a clear indication that we’re not the cool club anymore,” he continued. “It cast a shadow over everyone’s shining moment last night.”
In an interview for his latest movie, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Carrey continued his criticism.
“I’m just here to say that hitting another human being is wrong.”
“That initial terrible feeling that it had caused me stayed with me for a day. It made me sad,” Carrey said.
“Chris Rock is one of the sweetest and most charming people I know,” he added. “I hated to see him go through that.”
Supporting Smith’s corner
Other celebrities were more supportive and sympathetic towards Smith, who actually received cheers and applause from the Oscars crowd when he slapped Rock.
Golden Globe winner and GLAAD Honoree Mj Rodriguez he said he felt sympathy for Smith.
“Sometimes when you’re talking about someone’s wife, you really can’t help it,” the ‘Pose’ actress said as she arrived at the Vanity Fair Oscar party.
“So that’s what I would say.”
Meanwhile, activist and ‘The Good Place’ star Jameela Jamil tweeted a quote from Malcolm X about standing up for black women in America.
In his tweet, Jamil said: “Will Smith said ‘Not today.’ A man big enough to absolutely take him down, he slapped him light enough that Chris barely moved, because he made fun of his wife’s alopecia on a world stage.
Don’t say #protectBlackwomen for two years and then just condemn Will here. Go…”
Rapper/singer Nicki Minaj was one of the few to focus on Pinkett-Smith’s experience in her response, saying, “Imagine how it must feel to lose your hair to the point of having to shave it off.”
Minaj, who attracted controversy earlier this year due to her skepticism about vaccines, added: “Do you think that’s easy for anyone to handle? Don’t you think she’s cried about it many times?
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