Comedians are weighing in on the now-infamous moment when Will Smith slapped Chris Rock for a making a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s hair loss.
This comes at a time when telling jokes has become controversial, with some topics completely off limits. Comedy fans will no doubt recall the backlash Dave Chappelle faced for making quips about the trans community. Now, Will Smith has made his stance known on mocking medical conditions – at least when those jokes are about his wife.
Jada lost her hair due to a battle with alopecia. During the 2022 Academy Awards Sunday night, Rock said: “Jada, I love ya. G.I. Jane 2 movie, can’t wait to see it.” This referred to how Demi Moore shaved her head to star in G.I. Jane (1997).
The joke prompted Will to storm up on the stage and smack Rock across the face and repeatedly yell, “Keep my wife’s name out your f***ing mouth!”
“Wow, dude,” Rock replied. “It was a G.I. Jane joke.”
Everyone had opinions on the smack, but other comedians in particular were shaken by the incident.
“Let me tell you something, it’s a very bad practice to walk up on stage and physically assault a Comedian,” Kathy Griffin shared. “Now we all have to worry about who wants to be the next Will Smith in comedy clubs and theaters.”
“So upsetting – on every level – bravo to Chris Rock – for not eviscerating will smith – which he could do any day of the week – he walked away – bravo from a sad display of toxic masculinity from a narcissistic madman,” Rosie O’Donnell wrote.
“So it wasn’t staged and Chris Rock could press charges against Will Smith and probably sue his dumb a**! Wow! So surreal!” Tommy Chong tweeted.
“Very nervous for my shows at the @TheIrvineImprov tomorrow and Tuesday. Anyone have a catcher’s mask I can borrow?” Patton Oswalt joked.
Very nervous for my shows at the @TheIrvineImprov tomorrow and Tuesday. Anyone have a catcher’s mask I can borrow?
— Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) March 28, 2022
“Just saw the Will Smith slap. Anyone have a late night show I can borrow just for tomorrow?” Conan O’Brien agreed.
Director Judd Apatow had some deep thoughts to share in since-deleted tweets, according to Fox News.
“He could have killed him,” Apatow wrote of Smith’s assault on Rock. “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.”
Later, The Academy issued a statement on the events of the evening, asserting that they do not condone violence.
“The Academy does not condone violence of any form,” the tweet said. “Tonight we are delighted to celebrate our 94th Academy Awards winners, who deserve this moment of recognition from their peers and movie lovers around the world.”
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