On Sunday (March 27) at the 94th Academy Awards, Will Smith and Chris Rock got into an onstage incident that left everyone reeling.
While taking the stage to present, Chris made a joke about Will’s wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith. Will then abruptly walked onstage and slapped Chris on the face. He returned to his seat and continued to shout at Chris, twice: “Leave my wife’s name out of your f**king mouth.”
The shocking moment drew a flurry of reactions from the stunned audience at the Dolby Theatre to telecast viewers to celebrities. Here’s what the stars had to say:
Will Packer: “Black people have a defiant spirit of laughter when it comes to dealing with pain because there has been so much of it. I dont feel the need to elucidate that for you. But I also dont mind being transparent and say that this was a very painful moment for me. On many levels.”
Kathy Griffin: “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.”
Conan O’Brien: “Just saw the Will Smith slap. Anyone have a late night show I can borrow just for tomorrow?”
Judd Apatow: “He could have killed him. That’s pure out of control rage and violence. They’ve heard a million jokes about them in the last three decades. They are not freshman in the world of Hollywood and comedy. He lost his mind.”
Howard Stern: “[Will displayed] a sign of great mental illness [by being unable to] control impulse. Poor Chris Rock is a comedian and just trying to get through the day to make the f**king people laugh at that horrible ceremony. [Rock is] so fast comedy wise, he actually covered and made a joke and said, ‘Gee, best Oscars yet.”
Cher: “WENT OUT OF RM & MISSED REASON FOR WILL’S PUNCH.. JUST SAW IT, BUT STILL NOT SURE WHY.”
Mark Hamill: “Stand-up comics are very adept at handling hecklers. Violent physical assault… not so much. #UgliestOscarMoment_Ever”
Jim Gaffigan: “I’m still disgusted. We don’t deserve the brilliance of Chris Rock. ‘When you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything.’ – Donald Trump and Will Smith.
Okay, bad comparison on my part. I was trying to make a point but it doesn’t matter. FYU, I didn’t think the joke was brilliant. I said Chris Rock is brilliant. I still do and we don’t deserve his brilliance. Please continue to defend physical assault. It says so much.”
Cheo Hodari Coker: “Tonight was supposed to be a triumph for Gen-X hip-hop. Will Smith won an Oscar over Denzel at the height of D’s power. Questlove and Jazzbo won Oscars. D-Nice is Doing and Will Packer hip-hop filmmaker produced it. Beyonce, Puff, Jay and Latifah there. All upstaged by The Slap.”
Devon Sawa: “I mean the hit was definitely less Philly and more Bel Air”
Rian Johnson: “hahahaha I love the oscars so f**king much”
Nicki Minaj:
“I love Chris Rock. I don’t think he would’ve made that joke had he known what Jada recently shared. But between him & the whole team @ the #Oscars you mean to tell me not ONE of y’all heard this woman just share this heartbreaking story? #ComeOnSon … Here’s the thing… And this is such an AMAZING – EYE OPENING example of it… The husband gets a front row seat to his wife’s pain… he’s the 1 consoling her… drying her tears behind closed doors when those cameras go off. Social media has made ppl feel that these ‘husbands’ won’t ever run into them in real life. You just got to witness in real time what happens in a man’s soul when he looks over to the woman he loves & sees her holding back tears from a ‘little joke’ at her expense. This is what any & every real man feels in that instant. while y’all seeing the joke he’s seeing her pain Imagine what it must feel like to be losing your hair to the point where you have to shave it bald. You think that’s easy to deal with for anyone? You don’t think she’s cried about that many times? 2022 y’all gon have to see these men about those jokes you made about their wives.”
Tiffany Haddish: “I would define tonight as a success. First of all, I have seen a man stand up for his wife, which we don’t see that much anymore. That made me have hope. I felt very proud. I felt gratified, and I just hope more men are like that – care about their families.”
Liam Payne: “I believe whatever he felt that he did, he had the right to do. I also felt like there were three losers in one fight. It’s a very sad thing but there was a powerful moment for me, to sit and watch one of the world’s best emoters speak from the heart and I would rather take away the beauty from the situation than take the pain… but I had to leave my chair I’ll be honest with you. It cut me really deep.”
Jameela Jamit: “Will Smith said ‘Not Today.’ A man big enough o absolutely floor him, slapped him softly enough that Chris barely moved, because he made fun of his wife’s alopecia on a world stage. Don’t say #protectBlackwomen for two years and then only condemn Will here. Come on…”
Jaden Smith: “And That’s How We Do It”
Sean “Diddy Combs: “That’s not a problem. That’s over. I can confirm that. It’s all love. They’re brothers.”
The Academy released a statement late Sunday night, saying:
“The Academy does not condone violence of any form.
Tonight we are delighted to celebrate our 94th Academy Awards winners, who deserve this moment of recognition from their peers and movie lovers around the world.”
On Monday, they released another statement, which held more weight:
“The Academy condemns the actions of Mr. Smith at last night’s show.
We have officially started a formal review around the incident and will explore further action and consequences in accordance with our Bylaws, Standards of Conduct and California law.”
