Will Smith slaps Chris Rock on stage live at the OSCARS

[happyday]

So I’m the only one who thinks that CR was bullying a woman with a traumatizing condition? Hey, Liza, I hear you’re going to be on Dancing With the Stars! So, Bruce, you’re doing Hamlet at Shakespeare in the Park?

I thought that the anti-bullying campaign was still going strong in Hollywood and elsewhere.

I don’t think he was bullying her. He’s a comedian. Several sources have said he didn’t know about her condition, but we don’t know for sure. Even if he did, I think the joke was tame and not making fun of her medical condition—more acknowledging her very short hair and comparing her to another actress who had very short hair in a movie. (And looked GREAT as well). I had no idea she had alopecia, and I’ll bet most people didn’t. She looked great, and I figured it was just a style choice or maybe for a role.

Amy Schumer made a joke about Jennifer Lawrence gaining weight (the Smiths sure laughed at that one!) many jokes about peoples’ appearance throughout the night by all. That’s how the Oscars has been for a long time now. Some like it, some don’t. I think it’s kind of a way they make fun of all the pomp. It’s like they’re collectively making fun of themselves as Hollywood people.

I think it can go too far, but I didn’t think this joke did that. Why is JPS off limits but everyone else is fair game?

 

[Satchie]

So I’m the only one who thinks that CR was bullying a woman with a traumatizing condition? Hey, Liza, I hear you’re going to be on Dancing With the Stars! So, Bruce, you’re doing Hamlet at Shakespeare in the Park?

I thought that the anti-bullying campaign was still going strong in Hollywood and elsewhere.

To me, bullying is a concept based on the crude power dynamics of children in a playground.

People mature at different ages, but IMO, in our society where slavery has been abolished, etc, adulthood means developing a more sophisticated understanding of human relationships, communications, self-determination, etc.

There lots of great movies that show how the hero or heroine stands up to efforts to put them down by other people, or just life circumstances, and become undefeatable and truly noble in the process, not to mention innumerable true life stories.

Gandhi was subject to intense abuse for being Indian in the white legal/political system (and deliberately wore only a loincloth and shawl to make his point) - and he said "Bullies are always to be found where there are cowards." (But he was also absolutely committed to non-violence, so he didn't go around hitting the British).

Jada PS is 50 years old, with a 30 year successful career, and on Time's list last year as one of the 100 most influential people in the world (she certain seems to have a lot of influence over 1 person).

The idea that she's a helpless victim, that we should silence anyone from making jokes that might hurt her tender feelings, that it's fine to impose physical pain and therefore threats of future pain on anyone who dares have "her name in his *advertiser censored*** mouth"...IMO that's like keeping everyone in strollers because they might fall down and hurt themselves if they try to walk.

JMO

 

[Arkay]

So I’m the only one who thinks that CR was bullying a woman with a traumatizing condition? Hey, Liza, I hear you’re going to be on Dancing With the Stars! So, Bruce, you’re doing Hamlet at Shakespeare in the Park?

I thought that the anti-bullying campaign was still going strong in Hollywood and elsewhere.

IMO the difference is they are truly disabled and Jada is not. She has a condition, yes, that maybe is emotionally traumatizing for some, but it is not at all in the same category as a joke about Liza dancing or Bruce doing Hamlet at this stage of his life. My opinion.

For what it's worth, Will's tantrum overshadowed a wheelchair-bound Liza making an appearance, and the deaf actor who won an Oscar. I feel that all the attention has been drained away from them having their moments. Over a woman who has said that she's proud of herself and is fine with alopecia and is certainly not disabled.

JMO

 

[zecats]

Not to mention, Chris Rock has discussed having been bullied himself in the past (in his youth).

Chris Rock Met with Childhood Bully Years Before Oscars Slap: I Told Him to 'Take Care'

 

[Lusitana]

I'm sorry, but did Will Smith really expect that there would be no jokes about him and/or the people close to him? He was NOMINATED. I honestly thought he would say something about August Alsina.

Again, you can sit there and laugh about jokes about other people and go crazy when someone makes a joke about you. There is no excuse for this, he messed up big time.

 

[Satchie]

IMO the difference is they are truly disabled and Jada is not. She has a condition, yes, that maybe is emotionally traumatizing for some, but it is not at all in the same category as a joke about Liza dancing or Bruce doing Hamlet at this stage of his life. My opinion.

For what it's worth, Will's tantrum overshadowed a wheelchair-bound Liza making an appearance, and the deaf actor who won an Oscar. I feel that all the attention has been drained away from them having their moments. Over a woman who has said that she's proud of herself and is fine with alopecia and is certainly not disabled.

JMO

I still don't like the word 'bullying' in reference to adults.

IMO, if a comedian made such jokes about Minnelli, etc, the jokes would be considered to be in very poor taste, people would not laugh and the jokes would fall flat, his career would suffer, he wouldn't be invited to parties.

There'd be no need for Minelli to pull out a gun and shoot at him, claiming she was traumatized by his bad joke which reminded her of her mothers premature death, whatever. She'd just brush it off, as she's brushed off innumerable bad reviews /impersonations/ gossip she's been subjected to, no doubt reminding herself of her shelves of Oscars, Tonys, Grammy's, vast wealth, and that life is a cabaret.

JMO

 

[ContentHomebody]

So sick of hearing about this.

The day after the Oscars, you could not watch anything without it coming up and still coming up days after. I feel bad for every single other actor/actress that was nominated or won. This took all their thunder away and was so unfair. I don't watch the Oscars anymore but I can remember watching for all the talk about what everyone was wearing, where they were sitting and with who, and most of all what their acceptance speeches were - and there were always some truly genuine moments. So sad that they didn't get their fifteen minutes. That moment for most of them will never come around again.

And for what... some childish behavior from an actor that I used to really respect. He should realize now that he lost a lot of respect from a lot of people for some false act of standing up for his family. I don't believe that was anything but a "how dare you - don't you know how BIG I am". But if it was because Jada got mad, he reacted that quickly to her downturned face? How beaten down does she have him? He did laugh at first. And he did have a smirk on his face walking off the stage. It didn't seem to be a real show of anger.

I do sympathize with Jada for a real illness, but she seems to be handling it well otherwise. Celebrities need to stop crying wolf about the things that come with putting themselves out there in the public. Beyond someone committing a real crime, public scrutiny is (for most famous people - esp movie stars) part of your work in return for making the big bucks. And many of them even pay (or do stunts like this) for that publicity when they aren't getting enough. More publicity = more money. So there's that. Well until you just run your public self into the ground.

A planned thing - I'm not sure. But WS should most definitely have been removed immediately and not allowed to continue to sit on the front row or to accept and make an acceptance speech. I don't think it was ok for him to hit CR. I don't think it showed that he was a man or that he was protecting his wife/family. CR (from the times I have watched him) makes jokes about people, he says politically incorrect things - it is part of his act and always has been. I can see being offended - but CR was just doing what he was getting paid for, nice or not.

 

[CharlestonGal]

So I’m the only one who thinks that CR was bullying a woman with a traumatizing condition? Hey, Liza, I hear you’re going to be on Dancing With the Stars! So, Bruce, you’re doing Hamlet at Shakespeare in the Park?

I thought that the anti-bullying campaign was still going strong in Hollywood and elsewhere.

Bullying?? How on earth is being compared to GI Jane, a strong, bold, capable badass woman bullying??? If he compared her to Kermit the Frog or something, that would be bullying. But GI Jane? That's five steps up for Jada Smith.

And Chris Rock had no idea Jada had alopecia in the first place. The Smith's have obviously veered so far off into lala land they think every person on earth is aware of every aspect of their lives.

The Smith's also laughed at every joke and teasing of everyone else. But when it comes to themselves I guess it's suddenly not okay. They are exactly what spoiled, entitled, privileged, arrogant people look like. Add violent to the list in Will's case. And it isn't pretty.

IMO

 

[CharlestonGal]

I'm sorry, but did Will Smith really expect that there would be no jokes about him and/or the people close to him? He was NOMINATED. I honestly thought he would say something about August Alsina.

Again, you can sit there and laugh about jokes about other people and go crazy when someone makes a joke about you. There is no excuse for this, he messed up big time.

Can you imagine what Will would have done if Chris really went for it and asked if Jada was hiding August under that 20 yards of fabric? Or something to that effect? Or if she'd robbed any cradles recently?

Comparing Jada to the awesome GI Jane was the absolute tamest thing CR could have said about her. And WS knows it. So does Jada. Chris let them off easy when he had more than enough ammo to really skewer both of them if he really wanted to.

Unbelievable. IMO

 

[K9Enzo]

Bullying?? How on earth is being compared to GI Jane, a strong, bold, capable badass woman bullying??? If he compared her to Kermit the Frog or something, that would be bullying. But GI Jane? That's five steps up for Jada Smith.

And Chris Rock had no idea Jada had alopecia in the first place. The Smith's have obviously veered so far off into lala land they think every person on earth is aware of every aspect of their lives.

The Smith's also laughed at every joke and teasing of everyone else. But when it comes to themselves I guess it's suddenly not okay. They are exactly what spoiled, entitled, privileged, arrogant people look like. Add violent to the list in Will's case. And it isn't pretty.

IMO

Spot on. Can you imagine being so into yourself that you assume everyone cataloged everything you ever shared (or over shared) with the world about yourself?

It’s all about me, me, me….

I think folks in general are over the lives of celebrities, hence the low ratings of the Oscars over the years. Most live in a different reality (100k + gift bags for Oscar attendees. lol). Sure, they like their work for entertainment, but don’t care to hear them get on a soapbox or watch them congratulate themselves. I find TikTok hilarious because celebrities are not big on there, the average person is viewed and followed more. IMO

 

[Mind your biscuits]

Can you imagine what Will would have done if Chris really went for it and asked if Jada was hiding August under that 20 yards of fabric? Or something to that effect? Or if she'd robbed any cradles recently?

Comparing Jada to the awesome GI Jane was the absolute tamest thing CR could have said about her. And WS knows it. So does Jada. Chris let them off easy when he had more than enough ammo to really skewer both of them if he really wanted to.

Unbelievable. IMO

laughed out loud at the thought of who was hiding under that dress! Moo

 

[Morag]

Bullying in adults? Have you ever been on a PTA committee?

 

[Tommypop81]

I wonder if he slapped the guy he fought on the basketball court before he got sent to live with uncle Phil

 

[gitana1]

So I’m the only one who thinks that CR was bullying a woman with a traumatizing condition? Hey, Liza, I hear you’re going to be on Dancing With the Stars! So, Bruce, you’re doing Hamlet at Shakespeare in the Park?

I thought that the anti-bullying campaign was still going strong in Hollywood and elsewhere.

There are others who feel the way you do. I don’t. The only bully that night was WS IMO. He’s the one who committed battery on an entertainer for comparing his wife to Demi Moore in a film in which she was young and badass.

Again, zero evidence that he knew she had alopecia. Not everyone follows every detail of celebs lives. Including other celebrities.

Finally, yours is a false analogy. A true analogy would be if he had made a joke about Jada playing Rapunzel. That would, indeed, be cruel if he knew about her condition.

 

[ilovewings]

Will Smith Resigns From Academy Over Chris Rock Oscars Slap - Variety

Will Smith resigns from Academy: He sounds contrite but I see this action as taking control - he wanted to be the one to resign instead of the Academy being the ones who decided his fate.

 

[doublestop]

How bad is JPS's alopecia? Her hair looked closely cropped but I didn't see any bald spots?

 

[Arkay]

Will Smith Resigns From Academy Over Chris Rock Oscars Slap - Variety

Will Smith resigns from Academy: He sounds contrite but I see this action as taking control - he wanted to be the one to resign instead of the Academy being the ones who decided his fate.

This is a good first step, IMO. I also believe his contrition stems from the backlash he's receiving and not because he's particularly sorry about what he did to Chris.

If he were indeed regretting what he'd done, his teary speech at the ceremony should've started with apologizing to Chris, but instead he apologized to the Academy and left Chris out altogether.

That whole Smith family...Jada laughing after Will slapped Chris, Jaden posting, "and that's how we do it," all of them dancing the night away at the after-party---how sorry were they before the stuff hit the fan?

Even to give him the benefit of the doubt, that with hindsight he realizes the damage he's done, strikes a false note to me. I agree that he's resigning so as to avoid being pushed out.

Next step would be to hand the Oscar back. Even if he deserved it for acting, it's a scarlet letter now. How can he look at it on his mantlepiece or whatever and not see the self-destruction of his career, or at least his reputation?

I wonder if Will would have slapped someone with a more forceful personality than Chris Rock? Say Eddie Murphy, for example, was hosting and made the same joke? Obviously I don't know, but I feel that Eddie would have knocked him down. I think Will Smith just has no respect for Chris Rock in particular.

Jmo

 

[katydid23]

So I’m the only one who thinks that CR was bullying a woman with a traumatizing condition? Hey, Liza, I hear you’re going to be on Dancing With the Stars! So, Bruce, you’re doing Hamlet at Shakespeare in the Park?

I thought that the anti-bullying campaign was still going strong in Hollywood and elsewhere.

How was it bullying to say she could be GI Jane 2? GI Jane was awesome, sexy, beautiful, strong, and a huge mega hit. How is it bullying to say she could be the sequel?

 

[ilovewings]

This is a good first step, IMO. I also believe his contrition stems from the backlash he's receiving and not because he's particularly sorry about what he did to Chris.

If he were indeed regretting what he'd done, his teary speech at the ceremony should've started with apologizing to Chris, but instead he apologized to the Academy and left Chris out altogether.

That whole Smith family...Jada laughing after Will slapped Chris, Jaden posting, "and that's how we do it," all of them dancing the night away at the after-party---how sorry were they before the stuff hit the fan?

Even to give him the benefit of the doubt, that with hindsight he realizes the damage he's done, strikes a false note to me. I agree that he's resigning so as to avoid being pushed out.

Next step would be to hand the Oscar back. Even if he deserved it for acting, it's a scarlet letter now. How can he look at it on his mantlepiece or whatever and not see the self-destruction of his career, or at least his reputation?

I wonder if Will would have slapped someone with a more forceful personality than Chris Rock? Say Eddie Murphy, for example, was hosting and made the same joke? Obviously I don't know, but I feel that Eddie would have knocked him down. I think Will Smith just has no respect for Chris Rock in particular.

Jmo

His apo!ogies are a day late ( actually several days late), and a dollar short IMO

 

[CharlestonGal]

Will Smith Resigns From Academy Over Chris Rock Oscars Slap - Variety

Will Smith resigns from Academy: He sounds contrite but I see this action as taking control - he wanted to be the one to resign instead of the Academy being the ones who decided his fate.

Typical. Next up will be a 30 day rehab of some kind. The usual PR clean-up after a celebrity royally screws the pooch.

jmo

ETA: Interesting. From the linked article (BBM):

Academy president David Rubin replied to his resignation, saying in a statement, “We have received and accepted Mr. Will Smith’s immediate resignation from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. We will continue to move forward with our disciplinary proceedings against Mr. Smith for violations of the Academy’s Standards of Conduct, in advance of our next scheduled board meeting on April 18.”