Do you think it was justified for Will Smith to punch Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscar ceremony?

Will Smith laughed at the joke until his wife gave him the side eye. It was hardly an insult—it was just a joke about her buzz cut (she’s been very open about her alopecia). Smith overreacted and was totally unprofessional and Chris Rock was absolutely amazing for keeping it together.

An arrest would be an other extreme overreaction. Yes, an apology would be in order.

“Unmuted”: https://youtu.be/BOsPuUnvK9E while it lasts

@Caravanfan got it right.
What if the same joke was made by Wanda Sykes, rather than Chris Rock? Does she get hit?

Good point @Caravanfan and @filmfann. Thanks for posting the link, @filmfann. Hopefully it stays up. You can really hear the anger from Will Smith. I think Chris Rock looked kind of stunned when he did the presentation part after. I didn’t watch the whole link, so I don’t know if that part was in the video, but on the actual broadcast, he looked kind of shocked when he did the presentation, like “what just happened.”

I’d ask Wanda if James Whale recommended her hair stylist. ;)

It’s now official: Will Smith is Best Actor – and full of shit.

Violence, physical, is never the solution, in my book.
There seemed to be a lot of anger in Smith, looking at his expression while spouting his obscenities to Rock.

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Also, it seemed more like a slap than a punch.

First time seeing this. Still trying to process it. Initial thoughts:

1. Violence is wrong unless necessary to defend the safety of someone else.
2. Mean spirited jokes about others aren’t funny.
3. Either (a) Chris Rock can take a hit, (b) Will Smith doesn’t hit hard or ( c) both a & b are true.
4. When you do something wrong, you should apologize.

What did Rock say about Jada’s hair?

Jada has a disease that causes hair loss in spots. My grandson has the same thing, but a very mild case.
Jada shaved her head, so the noticeable bald spots wouldn’t be so noticeable.
CR made a joke about Jada being in G.I. Jane 2, a movie where Demi Moore shaved her head.

Clearly not justified. There is only one person in this whole world that I want to see punched in the face right now and it isn’t Chris Rock.

In hindsight, the least realistic part of Independence Day, was Will Smith knocking out an alien.
Guy can not even knock out Chris Rock.

And what a night for Chris.
Set out to make a joke about Jada P. Smith, and Will Smith turns out to be the punchline.

It was a slap, guys.

But they’re just hollywood elites now and barely real people.

Will is gonna be the next Tom Cruise. That handsome perfect good guy persona just covers the crazy now.

Wow he was really mad! And as @caravanfan pointed out, Will was laughing at first til his wife didn’t seem amused.

All Staged

I don’t feel like it was, but I might be wrong.

@chyna ummmmm, it’s Hollywood!

I think Will Smith embarrassed himself. He laughed at the joke at first and then completely snapped when he realized Jada was unhappy. That’s not healthy

He was just gettin jiggy wit it!

@Forever_Free I thought at first that the slap wasn’t staged but it clearly wasn’t. There was extensive bleeping of both Rock’s after speech and what Smith said. And Smith’s acceptance speech was a rambling and ineffective apology/explanation. It was bizarre but I haven’t drawn any judgmental conclusions yet.

1. They put a comedian up to present a nomination (and to perform a little).
2. Comedians make jokes.
3. Jokes are often at or about other people
4. The joke was not unexpected, nor really all that bad, especially given that Jada has commented on her hair publicly several times.
5. Will initially laughed at the joke until Jada gave him the stink eye.
6. When Laverne Cox made a joke about Jada fooling around on Will (to Will and Jada), they laughed it off.
7. If Jada had laughed this off as the joke it was, no one would have remembered or cared.
8. It seems insulting jokes are only okay when Jada says they are.
9. Will hitting Chris is called assault. It is not justified, it is not okay, it is a physical attack on another human being.

Smith is now a low life in my view. Yeah, Chris Rock made a tasteless remark, but he’s a comic, so what. And his humor is mellow compared to other comics, like Don Rickles or Dave Letterman in the day. Smith could have taken it up at another time. What he did was as much bull shit as when Buzz Aldrin punched out that guy that called him a liar about the moon landing. Also televised. Anger justified. Reaction inappropriate and way out of line. Ditto Will Smiths stunt at the Oscars. Just my two cents.

OK, folks, hold onto your hats, I agree with @seawulf575.

Jada is no red carpet or huge publicity virgin, she chose to appear with shaved (obviously shaved, not shiny from complete hair loss) bald head. No turban, scarf or wig. She knew she was making a statement.

I heard Chris Rock’s statement as less of a joke than a statement that she was really rocking the look, especially because when GI Jane came out, the big buzz (pun intended) was about how cool it was that Demi Moore had shaved her head for it.

I think Will Smith’s reaction was silly and overblown, as was the entire publicity machine around it.

The best comedians keep their jokes self-deprecating, as Dean Martin and Rodney Dangerfield were noted for. Dean: How’d all of these people get in my room? Excuse me folks, I have too much blood in my alcohol stream. LOL

It was rehearsed and staged to the nth degree. Had Will really hit him that hard, Chris would have gone down. Chris laughed, Will laughed, and had they shown Jada’s face, she was laughing

Will did apologize during his speech for his Oscar. Chris is refusing to press charges. So, if Chris don’t care, I sure as hell don’t care and if by chance it was real, Jada is damn proud of her man

@SEKA I did feel that the slap might have been rehearsed because Rock pulled away and didn’t seem at all hurt. But I don’t think the after reactions were. Smith seemed genuinely angry and then really weird in his acceptance speech. I do think less of Smith after it – notthat I think of Smith often at all. Anyway, a tempest in a teapot.

@SEKA They do show Jada’s face. Look at the link @filmfan posted way up at the top.

It was a trashy move. Rehearsed or not.

(And we wonder why there are so many shootings at parties and clubs…)

@chyna I had already seen that one. Jada was smiling at first & then rolled her eyes. After Will slapped Chris, they didn’t pan back over to her because she was laughing. It was a childish move regardless, but I’m not losing any sleep over it. Will and Jada have always had a strange relationship. I’ll keep my nose out of it and let the 2 of them enjoy whatever it is they do

@janbb My first reaction was that Chris started pulling back ½ second before Will swung. I wasn’t looking at it straight on when I saw that & on rewatch it doesn’t seem as obvious, but I’m still convinced it was staged

I can’t help but wonder if Will Smith would have even CONSIDERED punching the presenter had it been someone like Vin Deisel… let alone actually do it! He definitely picked his fight carefully. I believe he should be formally charged with felonious assault and dealt with appropriately.

After all, consider what would have happened had this sort of thing happened on the street just outside that building!

It would have been more civil for Smith and his wife to just get up and leave.

I agree with @seawulf575. On rare occasions do I agree with @seawulf575 and t his is one of them.

I don’t think it was staged because Chris Rock looked genuinely dazed and distracted after, when he read the names for the presenters. If it was a punch, he definitely would have been at the very least knocked backwards, and with a swollen face, so I agree that it was a slap, not a punch.

Also, some on social media have asked what if it was a woman who made the joke? If Wanda Sykes made the joke (whether or not you think she would make that joke not being the issue), would Will Smith punch Wanda Sykes? or Amy Schumer? I doubt it.

On the Today Show this morning, they were saying that it’s unfortunate because fathers always tell their sons “hands off” and handle things without violence. Also they pointed out that the impression many have of black men is that they are violent, and this plays right into that stereotype.

It will be interesting to see if either Chris Rock or Will Smith puts out a statement in the next few days, through their publicists, of course, and written by their publicists (of course).

@jca2 I did read that Rock is not pressing charges and the LAPD did not make a police report. I agree that it was a really unfortunate move on Smith’s part.

Violence and rage and foul language is the new go to. Disgusting.

Still not entirely sure what I think about this whole debacle. A mixture of what everyone has already said. But mostly that I like Denzel Washington. :P

Will Smith, very good acting talent. No class as a big Hollywood celebrity, a man and probably even as a husband in this instance. He could have just waited for Rock backstage.

Tweet from Will Smith’s son. In my opinion, classles and it encourages others to behave the same:

https://news.yahoo.com/smith-apos-son-reacts-chris-152653152.html

^^I’m a fan so I was feeling bad about Smith’s waning career due to what I saw as desperate and poor choices of movies to make, before this tennis film. I don’t feel as bad right now for him. I think he could have shown more self-respect and also respect for his family by showing restraint.

Upon further thought and review this was a terrible action.
It showed that violence was a response to words. I am completely disgusted by it.

@Forever_Free Totally not staged. Smith was being a toxic asshole and his apology reeked of apologies abusers give (I did it for love…)

@Caravanfan Agreed on this being a case of toxic masculine violence.

It’s like we’ve lost what it means to be polite and decent.

@Dutchess_III And we wonder why there is a violence issue in America.

I just can’t believe he showed his ghetto ass like that.

He had a pretty heartfelt apology on Instagram today. I think it’s time to move on.

Totally staged. Chris paused after the joke to allow time for reaction.
His makeup was not smudged.
If baldness were a sensitive topic for her, why no wig?
HELLO… actors. Looked real is their business.

Why is everyone talking about this? There is a backstory that no one knows so all of this chatter is a waste of time….and a bore. I haven’t watched an awards show in at least 20 years.

There was no justification for it at all. It was an impulsive blunder, significant only because it was witnessed world wide. Rock will will go down as magnanimous in my book if he passes on the opportunity of a lifetime to legally acquire a considerable portion of Smith’s material wealth. And how about the embarrassing public display of the value of Smith’s extensive Scientology self discipline training? I wonder how this incident will sway his future career.

Well….he got lots of free advertising.

He did issue a better apology today, but will it be enough? Jada issued a statement as well. Hers was more of a let’s move past this kind of thing

@SEKA: I feel like any statement that any of them put out is written by their publicist for the sole purpose of spin control.

Anyone else notice Jada smirking when Smith screamed at him the second time?
The whole thing was disgusting. And what a horrible role model.

The woman behind him wasn’t Jada. I didn’t see Jada on the video smiling when he was yelling. I saw Lupita Nyong’o in the video, with a slight smile on her face.

Supposedly Oscars staff asked Smith to leave after the slapping but he refused.

And they just let him refuse? What’s the point of having security?

@chyna Mall cops have no power.

@Forever_Free: Security at the Oscars aren’t mall cops. They would have the best security because in that room are A-list celebrities who, to the companies that they employ, are very valuable commodities.

My thoughts are that now, after the fact, the Academy has to save face and show that they attempted to act properly, and so they “asked Smith to leave.” That’s a load of shit. If security wants to throw you out, there should be no debate. They bring the big guys over and if you’re not leaving, they make you leave.

@jca Mall cops aren’t big guys. Hence why it didn’t work out. ;)

They are saying they “asked him to leave” now after the publicity fallout. There’s no “asking someone to leave.” If you go to a hotel or a restaurant and you act up, and they ask you to leave, there’s no saying no. Even at a restaurant where there’s likely to be zero security, if they want you to leave and you refuse, the police will be called.

It wasn’t justified, but perhaps it was worth it- Maybe Marjorie Taylor Greene will go see ‘King Richard’. ;)

It just proved that Hollywood is still alive and doing what it does best – Protecting and celebrating disgusting behavior.
“Nikki Glaser”

Something I recently learned about, is that John Wayne tried to assault a native american woman on stage, who was sent by Marlon Brando to reject the Oscar on his behalf, and held a short speech asking film makers to not dehumanise native americans on screen.
She was also mocked by Clint Eastwood at the same event. Guess Eastwood was always a slime.
Both are considered “icons” to this day.
This makes Will Smith’s slap seem quite a bit less egregious.

Amen @ragingloli I just found that out too. Never cared much for Eastwood anyway, but I was super disappointed with Wayne, I always thought his cowboy persona was his real persona. Sticking up for the underdog, helping out where he could, then riding off alone into the sunset, looking for more baddies to give an attitude adjustment to. His movie persona would have never attacked an Indian girl, or anyone else for speaking their mind. He was just a fraud POS and I feel like I got had all my life. Pissed me off big time. There just are no real role models anymore. And it sucks. And Hollywood sucks. On edit, Brando was scum too. Not man enough to do his own job, sends a Native American activist and female into harms way to do it for him. WTF is wrong with these clowns? END OF RANT

@ragingloli violence is violence

Sacheen Littlefeather >>>>>>>>>>>>>> Wayne + Eastwood + Andrew Jackson

Wayne Eastwood Andrew Jackson eat shit and die. Wayne in particular. Eastwood is odd anyway; Jackson was a wannabe Napoleon. Wayne was a fraudulent liar and fake. I can’t get over it.

@ragingloli….Brando sent her to accept the award, not reject it.

@Dutchess_III That’s not my recollection.

@filmfann….here

@Dutchess_III If you listen to the speech by the Native American from your link, she says that Brando says he cannot accept the award.

But he didn’t have the nuts to go reject it himself, sent a woman to do his dirty work. I agree with the sentiment, just the principle of how he did it.

@Dutchess_III Clearly, he sent her to reject it.

Yes. I listened to it. First time all I really heard was that she was there to accept the award on his behalf. But then, as she spoke, the fact he was rejecting it came clear.

Now they are saying that Chris Rock asked the Academy to not kick Will Smith out. He had some fans at his show heckle Smith and he stopped the show to ask them to stop. Since he’s past the initial shock and he’s not upset, I don’t care enough to be upset for him

I’m upset for all of society. We’re becoming no more than vicious animals.

I’m a cynic and to me, Will Smith’s written apology and his resigning from the Academy is all damage control, insincere since none of it is orchestrated by him personally. It’s all done by publicity agent and PR people whose sold purpose is damage control, to keep the star power of the star that they manage, so his future earnings stay high and he loses the least amount of fans popular.

I feel if he was really sorry, when he spoke during his speech and did his alligator tears, he would have apologized to Chris Rock then. It’s only now, after the Oscars Producer, Will Packer, spoke out about how horrible Smith’s behavior was, and Wanda Sykes was on Ellen saying the same thing, and other celebs are saying the same thing, that Will Smith realizes what he did was not something to be proud of.

I was really put out this morning when Good Morning America led with the story on Will Smith instead of the war in the Ukraine.

@chyna: Yeah, I’m hoping this is the end of the drama, and maybe in a few weeks, we’ll hear about what the Academy decided to do. I’m done with seeing the video of the slap, too. Every time they talk about it on the news, they show the slap.

I know I will be accused of giving Will Smith a pass, but I’m not. But I can’t help liking the guy and I like his films. Just allow me to say that he has apologized profusely, several times, and has said he will accept any decision the Academy passes down. I think it’s time to move on.