MEAWW.COM / NEWS / CELEBRITY NEWS

‘What a very west Philly Oscars’: Hollywood stunned after Will Smith slapped Chris Rock onstage

At first, the smack was thought to be scripted but it soon emerged that it was real and will never be forgotten

The bombshell moment of the 94th annual Academy Awards that saw Will Smith smacking Chris Rock live on tv is now expectedly engraved in everyone’s memory. Smith apparently couldn’t control his emotions after Rock seemingly made fun of Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head while showing his desire to see her in “GI Jane 2”.

Jada has alopecia, which she has always been vocal about. She also shaved her head because of the condition. When the comedian took aim at her look, the actress’ actor husband did not take it lightly and slapped him on-stage. Upon returning to his seat, Smith said: “Keep my wife’s name out of your fucking mouth.”

READ MORE

'He carried on like a pro': Chris Rock's restraint hailed after Will Smith ASSAULTS him on Oscar stage

'ENJOY YOUR OPEN MARRIAGE': Will Smith slammed for 'FAKE TEARS' during Oscars 2022 acceptance speech

At first, the smack was thought to be scripted but it soon emerged that it was real and will never be forgotten. Hollywood has reacted to the incident with dismay. Comedian Quinta Brunson tweeted, “What a very west Philly Oscars.” Kathy Griffin shared, “Let me tell you something, it’s a very bad practice to walk up on stage and physically assault a Comedian. Now we all have to worry about who wants to be the next Will Smith in comedy clubs and theaters.” Rob Reiner said, “Will Smith owes Chris Rock a huge apology. There is no excuse for what he did. He’s lucky Chris is not filing assault charges. The excuses he made tonight were bullshit.”

Lawyer Janai Nelson noted, “I know we’re all still processing, but the way casual violence was normalized tonight by a collective national audience will have consequences that we can’t even fathom in the moment. #Oscars2022.” Journalist E. Jean Carroll said, “‘Love will make you do crazy things.’ Every woman who's ever been hit has heard that one.”

“#WillSmith says he wants to be a vessel for love. Love is not violent. Love is not what was displayed on a global stage tonight. #Oscars,” author Maria Shriver said while actor George Takei pointed out: “Many people, especially kids, look up to actors. Because of that, we have an obligation to try to be good role models. With celebrity comes responsibility.”

Mia Farrow wrote on Twitter, “It was just a joke. Jokes are what Chris Rock does. Always has been edgy. This was a mild joke for him. And i love GI Jane.” Actor Sophia Bush called out both Will and Rock while noting: “Violence isn’t ok. Assault is never the answer. Also? This is the 2nd time that Chris has made fun of Jada on the #Oscars stage, & tonight he went after her alopecia. Punching down at someone’s auto-immune disease is wrong. Doing so on purpose is cruel. They both need a breather.”

“Stand-up comics are very adept at handling hecklers. Violent physical assault... not so much. #UgliestOscarMoment_Ever,” Mark Hamill remarked. Dan Bucatinsky asked, “Ummm… Whaaaat!?? He justified his assault using tears and the word ‘love’. the one thing he did NOT do is apologize for slapping Chris Rock!!” 

“What a sad commentary when you slap the crap out of someone on live TV, win an Oscar, get a standing ovation and then accept that Oscar talking about ‘love’. There was so much wrong about this moment. #Oscars2022,” conservative political commentator Michael Steele tweeted. Writer Wajahat Ali added, “If you're a big enough star you can slap someone on live TV and casually sit down. Enjoy the rest of the ceremony. Win an award. Get a standing ovation. Kinda apologize but not really. Get another standing ovation and then have people defend you. America is amazing. #Oscars.”