Chris Rock was right. The 2022 Oscars were truly “the greatest night in the history of television.” Of course, it had little to do with the nominations and wins, and everything to do with Will Smith sliding for Jada Pinkett Smith over Chris Rock’s G.I. Jane joke. It seemed harmless at face value but Jada opened up about her issues with hair loss, which evidently struck a nerve with Will Smith. The Oscar-winning actor marched on stage and slapped Chris Rock on national television, returned to his seat, and told the comedian, “keep my wife’s name out your f*cking mouth.”
Clearly, it was a breaking point for Will after having to deal with entanglement memes and 2Pac jokes that riddle the timeline anytime he or his wife is trending. Some have felt Will should’ve dealt with this privately, specifically members of the comedy community who think this sets a dangerous precedent (i.e. Kathy Griffin). However, it seems that many of hip-hop’s most prominent acts feel where Will Smith was coming from in that moment, including Offset. “I feel you will smack the SHIT out one you n***as bout my wife on national tv,” Offset tweeted. “Will Smith the greatest to do it.”
Royce seemingly echoed this sentiment more subtly. He shared an uncensored clip of Will Smith’s exchange with Chris Rock from his seat. “Ain’t nobody playing about their wife,” he captioned the post.
Boosie explained how Will Smith’s aggression was a firm reminder of why he doesn’t mess with people’s wives. “Will tired bro,” he wrote. “I been feeling bad for him myself these last years. ‘That joke’ shouldn’t have been said at the Oscars. Feel like he coulda let them slide,” he added, suggesting that there may have been previous tension between Will Smith and Chris Rock.
50 Cent’s POV differed from others, especially as he aims to win an Oscar himself in the future. The rapper shared five posts dedicated to the single slap, including an Everbody Hates Chris-themed meme. However, Fif’s biggest takeaway is that you can do practically anything you want if you win an Oscar, like Will Smith who took home the award for Best Actor. “You have to win Oscars to do this kinda shit. after i win i’m gonna slap the shit out of a few people. LOL,” Fif wrote.
Check out some of the best responses below.