Will Smith and Chris Rock

So I'd seen some comments but had not watched what happened. I'm going to rewind my last couple of minutes.





It seems that Jada Pinkett Smith wears her hair close clipped/shaved because she suffers from alopecia, which I didn't know. Then I see this, note the date:





So this is not the first time that Chris has used her for material.

Then I see the full clip. Watch Jada's face after Rock says it.

So yeah, I think it was real, not showbiz playacting. The anger in Will Smith's eyes after he sat back down looked very real.

 

My first thought was this belonged on the Oscars thread. Then I realized there wasn’t one. Kinda says it all really.

 

There is one on Anything Goes, but I think the Rock-Smith thing is a big enough story that it belongs here in a thread of its own.

 

I certainly can't condone it.

But I can understand it.

 

I don't particularly care for the Smiths, but Jada has been very open about her battle with alopecia. It is not a secret and is certainly not a secret in Hollywood. Some of the people in this board might not know it, but Chris Rock certainly knows why Jada shaves her head. It was a cheap lazy joke, though I don't think you respond to words with physical violence. That said, it is past time to stop making fun of people for what they look like.

 

In the first 12 hours or so, I’ve seen almost universal condemnation for Smith. However, I do feel the story will morph in the next 12 hours to include the following hot takes.

— black on black violence.
— white people shouldn’t comment because this is part of accepted Black culture.
— what if scenarios…aka a white woman said what rock said, what if it was a white man who punched rock…etc.
— further proof of lib violence/ breakdown of society.
— this never happened when Billy Crystal was the host.
— it was scripted.

 

Whether its a deadly assault on the U.S. Capitol or faceslap at an awards ceremony, both sides....

 

I wonder if Regina Hall's earlier joke about their marriage played into this as well.

 

The slap itself looked scripted because Smith trotted up there like the Fresh Prince.
The way he acted after the actual incident seemed real.
I have no idea if it was real or not. I think people calling for Smith to be arrested are over the top.

 

Guy makes joke about another guy's wife. Guy 2 takes the heat and slugs joke-maker. I'll guess this has happened a zillion times in Hollywood, except it used to be at the Brown Derby and not the Oscars. Damage to all parties appears minimal except for the usual social media frenzy.

 

Rock declined to press charges.

 

Slapping a Man In Black
(Man In Black)
They won't let you remember
Nah, nah, nah

I gotta an Oscar now, remember that
Just in case we ever face to face and make contact
So don't bother me with CRT
Means what you think you saw, you did not see
So don't blink what was there is now gone
Black suits with the bow ties on on
Walk in shadow, move in silence
Guard against onstage violence