The Collection

OP-ED - Will Smith Slap

CHRIS ROCK SLAPPED BY WILL SMITH AT 94TH ANNUAL OSCARS

This year's Oscars event went a little off-script when famed actor Will Smith slapped actor-comedian Chris Rock on-stage on live television.

On March 27th, Will Smith, known for his role as the Fresh Prince on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, attended the Academy Awards with a little more than The Pursuit of Happyness. Chris Rock, known for his role as a part of the cast of Saturday Night Live, cracked the wrong G.I. joke while presenting on-stage, causing Smith to rise from his seat and slap him.

In sunny Los Angeles at the grand Dolby Theatre was the location of the 2022 Academy Awards. Despite the regal setting, this year's Oscars were just short a few Grown Ups. It was easy for Chris Rock to stand on-stage and read his lines from a teleprompter, however, what was not easy was having to deal with the 'Fresh Prince special' after Will Smith landed what is sure to go down as the greatest slap in history. After making a not-so-funny G.I. Jane joke regarding Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, and her shaved head, Smith felt he needed to stand up for his wife – or maybe for himself – after following his slap with shouting, twice, "Keep my wife's name out your f*****g mouth!" Though Rock says he did not know about Pinkett Smith's alopecia, the audience can conclude that Rock will forever be in Bad Company with Smith.

For some context, Pinkett Smith has been open about her struggle with alopecia since she was first diagnosed in 2018, which is the reason for her shaved head. On Pinkett Smith's show, Red Table Talk, she recently spoke about an 'altercation' in her and Smith's marriage. Fans are saying that Smith's bruised ego was the reason for the slap and that he was trying to redeem himself.

The public has had a lot to say on the matter, including multiple accounts from celebrities – in real life and through social media.

Some took Smith's side: "I think Chris was messy...[Smith] protected his wife. And that's what a man is supposed to do," comedian Tiffany Haddish says following the incident. Janet Hubert, Smith's former Fresh Prince of Bel-Air co-star said, "There is only so much one can take...sometimes you have to slap back...both actions were incorrect but Chris didn't need to go there."

And some took Rock's side: "I applaud Chris Rock for recovering, keeping the show moving," The Late Late Show host, James Corden, said, "It was an incredibly dignified response. Will Smith can't take a joke, Chris Rock can take a punch." Comedian Judd Apatow tweeted, "@questlove who deserved his moment without that toxic nonsense before him," regarding musician Questlove's win for best documentary feature, "I'm glad Chris is ok. Will learned nothing training for Ali. Will Smith's punches are as soft as his raps."

Other comments from celebrities include: "...Now we all have to worry about who wants to be the next Will Smith in comedy clubs and theaters," comedian Kathy Griffin said. Radio personality Howard Stern responded, "...It was hardly an insulting joke. It was not even a good joke. The joke, quite frankly, was beneath Chris Rock. It was a throwaway." Former television host Conan O'Brien tweeted, "Just saw the Will Smith slap. Anyone have a late night show I can borrow for just tomorrow?" And, of course, Lupita N'yongo, the eyewitness account everyone is talking about. The actress was sitting behind Smith, caught on camera looking visibly shocked while he yelled profanities at Rock following the slap.

Some people believe Rock did not know about Pinkett Smith's alopecia. However, rapper Nicki Minaj tweeted, rather heatedly, "...between [Rock] and the whole team @ the #Oscars you mean to tell me not ONE of y'all heard this woman just share this heartbreaking story?" Actor Sophia Bush also tweeted, "Violence is never the answer. Also? This is the 2nd time that Chris Rock has made fun of Jada on the #Oscars stage, & tonight he went after her alopecia. Punching down someone's auto-immune disease is wrong. Doing so on purpose is cruel. They both need a breather."

In the days following the incident, the Academy reportedly gave Smith a week to send them a letter or any form of statement, explaining what he did and why, and to essentially make his case on the matter. Following that, Smith resigned from the academy saying he, "betrayed its trust," and that he will, "accept any further consequences". Recently, the Academy has come out saying that Smith is banned from every Oscars event for the upcoming ten years. Though, now people can truly say Will Smith is a Bad Boy for Life.

In an Instagram post, Smith apologized to Rock, saying, "I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be." Though Rock has yet to give a public statement, he has reportedly spoken briefly on the matter at a comedy show the following week. Before starting, Rock opened with saying that his stand-up show's script was written, "before all this nonsense happened," and that he was, "still kind of processing what happened". Since this report, Rock has not given another statement

It seams that majority of the public has swayed toward the argument that, though Smith was standing up for his wife, he should not have resorted to violence. Most say that it would have been more than enough for him to simply say what he said and leave it at that.

In summary, the 94th Academy Awards didnot give viewers Death at a Funeral, but death at the Oscars, and WillSmith saying I am Legend in the form of a slap in the face.

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Written on April 11, 2022.

We've all heard about this by now. It's actually quite boring at this point.

In Writer's Craft, we were given an OP-ED assignment (opinion editorial) to write about this ordeal.

I'll just keep it simple and say I hated. Every. Flipping. Minute.

It truly sucked.

Anyways, The only reason I'm putting this up here is that I loveeee the references I made to their movies. Some of the movies they were in were SO PERFECT for this article. I'm so happy with my work.

Have a nice day!

Madi