Sunday night’s Oscars was a show to remember but for the wrong reasons. It was supposed to be Will Smith’s glorious moment, possibly winning his first Oscar in his illustrious career. However, the event that preceded it would become the highlight of the night. When Chris Rock made a joke about Jada Smith, Will Smith’s wife, and her hair condition, Will Smith walked up to him and slapped him in the face. Smith would proceed to walk back to his seat and cuss out Rock, telling him to not make any jokes about his wife. This event, coined the “slap heard around the world” immediately shifted the mood for the Oscars. Denzel and Bradley Cooper could be seen later consoling Will Smith about the incident, giving him words of advice.
Smith would later win the Oscar for Best Lead Actor for his role as Richard Williams in the movie King Richard. In his speech, he would become emotional and tearful, stating how Richard Williams was a “protector” and “defender” of his family. He even shared some advice he received from fellow nominee Denzel Washington: “At your highest moment be careful, that’s when the devil comes for you.” He then apologized to the Academy about the incident, hoping that he could come back in the future. However, there was no direct apology to Chris Rock, something that was criticized later on by many onlookers. Smith would issue a direct apology to Chris Rock on social media on Monday.
A few days after the event, the Academy would release a statement stating how they asked Will Smith to leave but he refused to. They also acknowledged that they could’ve definitely handled the situation differently. Many actors/celebrities have commented on the situation with Wanda Sykes describing how it was “sickening”. Many have debated who was truly at fault for the slap. Was it Chris Rock for making an inappropriate joke? Or Will Smith for escalating the situation? Those who argued that Chris Rock was at fault pointed to how the joke was made on a touchy subject for Jada. She had stressed her alopecia, the disorder that causes hair loss, and how she struggled to deal with it in the past. Those who argued that Will Smith was mainly to blame state how Smith committed assault, a felony, on live television and that violence is never the answer. He acted very unprofessionally and could have handled the situation very differently.
Who do you think is more in the wrong?
Do you think that the Academy should’ve reacted differently? If yes, how so?
Numbers have shown that the audience for the Oscars has declined over the years. For many, if not for the slap, they probably wouldn’t have even known the Oscars took place. Do you think the Oscars are falling out of style? Why or why not?
Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/30/movies/will-smith-chris-rock-slap-oscars.html
https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/30/entertainment/academy-will-smith/index.html
https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/27/entertainment/will-smith-chris-rock/
cnn.com/2022/03/27/entertainment/best-actor-will-smith-speech/index.html
7 comments:
I think that Will Smith is certainly more in the wrong because it is obvious that he overreacted to a joke being told in a comedic setting. As much as Will Smith is entitled to be mad about the joke, it is something he should have handled in a more professional manner, whether that be publicly or privately, after the event. I think that the Academy reacted as expected because they would always prefer the event and show to continue rather than make a larger scene than was already made. As for Chris Rock, his job was literally to make jokes, and just because he made a distasteful joke doesn't mean that Will Smith should be allowed to assault him on live television. I certainly think that the Oscars are falling out of style as it has become an event where celebrities get a platform to pat each other on the back. There is also the issue of race and gender bias which has become a focal point in recent years.
Chris Rock was the cause of the problem and Will Smith escalated it. I don't think Chris was necessarily making fun of Jada's alopecia but more so her appearance, either way it had harmful implications. Will shoulders most of the blame because of his failure to handle the situation more peacefully and professionally. No matter what reason, at the end of the day Will did assault Chris. Like Alex said, the Grammy hosts are known to crack jokes at the nominees, although, Rock's joke towards Jada was definitely over the line.
The Academy did nothing from the looks of it. Issuing an apology and flimsy excuse for not removing Will or banning him immediately shows weakness in authority. At the same time, it's reasonable for them to want to keep the commotion to a minimum and handle it after the fact. I think award shows in general are falling out of style because people aren't really watching broadcasted television anymore and there's speculation about the winners being rigged (especially Grammys). Personally, I had no clue that the Oscars were premiering until the slap and as Alex also mentioned, nothing really happens other than names being called and the trophy being handed out, it's more of a formality at this point.
I think Will Smith is more in the wrong. Although Chris Rock's joke may have been in bad taste given Jada's hair loss condition, it seems that there was a large overreaction by Will. To assault someone, especially on such a national stage is ridiculous and exposed a high level of immaturity.
Chris Rock's joke was in reference to a movie that really has no negative connotation regarding Jada's appearance or character. Jada has very publicly spoken about how she doesn't care what anybody thinks of her shaved head, and video has surfaced of Will Smith making a joke at the expense of a bald person and saying "it's just a joke" when they looked uncomfortable. Although I can understand feeling a little upset over the joke, Will and Jada's actions/reaction to Rock's joke seemed almost hypocritical. They are both very familiar with the world of comedy and entertainment and should at least be able to accept that not every joke is going to sit right with them. Smith's reaction detracted from the achievements of other actors and after he selfishly refused to leave, he went onto dance and joke around at after parties.
Although Chris Rock may have owed Jada a personal apology after the show, Will Smith's actions can't be excused.
Personally I think Will Smith would be in the wrong if this event wasn't so memed across the web. However since this event basically overshadowed every other current event I think it was definately justified. As it was once said the needs of the many out weigh the needs of the few. If this slapping could bring entertainment to many it was completely justified. I think the Academy should of just played it up and made their own versions of the slapping incident and posted it on youtube. Don't really care about the other actors cause I dont really pay attention to acting. I think actors next year should do something stupid like this for entertainment value
Obviously, violence is never a good solution, especially at a civil gathering like an award show. However, Chris should not have made the joke. They’re both in the wrong. Chris examined the issue of black hair in a documentary he produced, called “Good Hair.” As this NYT article points out, “Black women’s hair has been the object of scrutiny, derision and ridicule in American society since it’s been growing out of our heads. Thanks to standards of beauty that for too long excluded us, we are arguably the largest demographic in the country whose hair is continually policed. Court cases document fights against school districts and corporations trying to govern how we can wear our hair” (https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/05/movies/oscars-black-hair-chris-rock.html). Additionally, “Academic studies have outlined how strongly the identity of many Black women is tied to their hair. Not having the type of hair that’s affirmed and considered “womanly” in the culture at large can dent one's sense of self” (https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/05/movies/oscars-black-hair-chris-rock.html). These are all ideas explored in Rock’s documentary. Yes, he was joking, obviously, but it was a cheap shot at best, and a harmful joke at worst. (I don’t think there really needs to be an explanation as to why Will slapping him was also bad).
The Oscars are definitely falling out of style as people realize how much it is a bogus popularity contest and not at all about the quality of the movies. It’s unbelievable how the Oscars cut eight categories from the live show. Film editing??? That’s one of the most important parts of the industry, and it’s sad to see it snubbed in favor of terrible Amy Schumer jokes. The best part of the Oscars is seeing your favorite people rewarded for their amazing performances and hard work, but it’s not even really worth it to watch anymore. However, I am glad that Dune was recognized in a lot of ways for how great it was.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/05/movies/oscars-black-hair-chris-rock.html
I think both were definitely in the wrong, but Will Smith was more in the wrong. Chris Rock's joke was definitely too far; people should never make fun of medical conditions (especially on national television and a topic that was openly sensitive for Jada). However, Smith's reaction definitely crossed the line. I agree - it was assault. I understand that he acted out of anger, but it was a very rash and illogical action that could have been sorted out not on live television. What he did unfortunately tainted the acceptance of his Oscar.
I believe that the Academy not taking action against the assault is an example of the privileges that celebrities have, and that's concerning. If a member of the public was in Will Smith's place, they would definitely would have been treated differently, would people agree?
Will Smith is definitely in the wrong here. He laughed when the joke was made, then Jada told him to shut up and that's when he went onstage. Will Smith is honestly just in a bad point in his life, he's been stuck in a weird relationship, and it's taken a toll on him. Jada joked about her alopecia before, it should be "safe" comedically. Especially since it was such a minor jab at her. Chris Rock handled himself excellently onstage. He could've hit Will back, he could've made fun of his marriage, etc etc but he choose not to, and conducted himself calmly.
Banning Will Smith was the right decision, that kind of demonstration can't occur. If Chris Rock stepped out of line, then he deserved to be reprimanded after the show and face those consequences, but he didn't step out of line. The Oscars and movies in general are slowly falling out of style. With new forms of media like Tiktok, Instagram, Youtube etc people just don't have the attention span to sit through a 2 hour movie anymore. We need constant stimulation, and movies just don't supply that. Some say the slap was a conspiracy to help publicize Chris Rock's new tour (maybe it was) but it definitely helped attract attention to the event although it was the wrong kind of attention. Then again, all publicity is good publicity. Movies are going out of style though, look at the most popular kind - action movies. They give the viewer constant stimulation, but that constant stimulation comes in other forms. Once movies can't supply it anymore, other forms of media will take center stage.
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