OSCARS

DJ Jazzy Jeff Defends Will Smith By Noting All The Times That He ‘Should’ve Smacked The Sh*t Out Of Somebody’ But Didn’t

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DJ Jazzy Jeff, Will Smith‘s friend and Grammy-winning collaborator, spoke for us all when he tweeted his thoughts on the Fresh Prince slapping Chris Rock during the Oscars.

Jazz has since expanded on his thoughts during an interview with Chicago radio station 107.5 WCGI (via People). “Don’t get it twisted that it was something he was proud of. It was a lapse in judgment, you know?” The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air actor said. “I think the thing that I’ve realized is I don’t know too many people that has had the least amount of lapse of judgment than him. I can name 50 times that he should’ve smacked the sh*t out of somebody and he didn’t.” Unfortunately, that 51st time was during Hollywood’s biggest night when 15 million people were watching at home.

Jazz continued:

“So, for him to have a lapse in judgment, he’s human. And I think a lot of the criticism comes from the people who don’t think people like that are human.”

Here’s a dramatic reenactment of DJ Jazzy Jeff protecting Smith from criticism:

Others (not named Billy Crystal and Jim Carrey) in the entertainment industry who have worked with Smith have also come to his defense. “To me, it’s just like, enough of it. All right, so a dramatic thing happened, but I just think we’ve got to get our priorities straight,” Bad Boys director Michael Bay said about the Slap. Would he work with Smith again? “Absolutely, 100 percent,” he replied. “He’s a very even-keeled guy.”

Chris Rock has yet to comment on the incident, and won’t until he gets paid.

(Via People)

50 Cent Pauses His Jokes To Give A More Serious Comment On Will Smith’s Ban From The Oscars

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We’re two weeks removed from the 94th Annual Academy Awards which also means that we’re two weeks removed from the slap heard around the world. During the live broadcast, Will Smith approached Chris Rock on stage and slapped him for making a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett-Smith. Since it occurred, the incident has been discussed from every angle, and while some hoped the conversation die out, it appears that won’t be the case anytime soon. This comes as The Academy recently announced that Smith will be banned from all events, including the Oscars, for the next ten years.

That punishment sparked a new round of comments and opinions from people all over the world. One of them includes 50 Cent who paused his normal output of jokes to give a more serious response about the ban. “Got Damn they doing Will dirty,” he wrote on Twitter. “This is too harsh. He can’t come back till he 63 years old. And the law suit ain’t even hit yet. SMH.”

50 Cent previously let off a couple of jokes after Will Smith’s slap. “You have to win Oscars to do this kinda sh*t,” he tweeted the night of the Oscars. “After i win i’m gonna slap the sh*t out of a few people. LOL.” A couple of days later, he posted a meme of Jussie Smollett with the caption, “Will Smith hit me too.”

You can read 50 Cent’s comment on the Oscar ban in the post above.

Denzel Washington Speaks Out on Oscars Slap: ‘The Only Solution Was Prayer’

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Denzel Washington was a calming presence at the 2022 Oscars. After Will Smith slapped Chris Rock after delivering a questionable joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith, Washington was seen as an immediate mediator to the situation and later consoling the Smiths.

A week later, PEOPLE notes Washington was on hand at T.D. Jakes International Leadership Summit and detailed why he assisted.

“No way I could have sat in my seat,” Washington said. “That’s just not who I am.”

Variety notes Denzel would reflect on the moment and what he believes happened to Smith.

“There’s a saying when the devil ignores you, then you know you’re doing something wrong,” Washington said. “The devil goes, ‘Oh no leave him alone, he’s my favorite.’ Conversely, when the devil comes at you, maybe it’s because he’s trying to do something right. And for whatever reason, the devil got ahold of him that night.”

Washington would not reveal what was said during the huddles at the award show that included him and Smith, as well as Tyler Perry and Bradley Cooper, but did reveal prayers were exchanged.

“I don’t wanna say what we talked about, but there but for the grace of God go any of us,” Washington said. “Who are we to condemn? I don’t know all the ins and outs of this situation, but I know the only solution was prayer, the way I saw it, the way I see it.”

The post Denzel Washington Speaks Out on Oscars Slap: ‘The Only Solution Was Prayer’ appeared first on The Source.

ASAP Rocky Doesn’t Think Will Smith’s Slap Was ‘Targeted At Chris Rock’

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While most of the rappers who have weighed in on the Will Smith Oscars slap either empathized or found it funny (seriously, there are so many jokes), there’s at least one who did not. New father-to-be ASAP Rocky, dropping by controversial quote factory Drink Champs, was asked for his take on the slap, which found Smith leaving some fresh prints (heyo) on the face of Chris Rock over a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s hair.

“I’m a fan of Will, Jada, Chris, all of them,” Rocky replied. “They OGs. I think it’s unfortunate that, like, he emasculated another Black man in front of all them people like that. But I do think that, like, it’s some built-up shit that probably wasn’t really targeted at Chris Rock. I don’t know. … Like what you said, it seems like it’s more than just a G.I. Jane joke.”

Well, he’s certainly right about things being built up. For one thing, Jada has suffered alopecia, an immune disorder that causes hair to fall out in patches. This is why she keeps her head shaved, a look that drew the comparison to the titular character from Demi Moore’s 1997 woman-in-the-military film (it probably doesn’t help that the movie was pretty bad and roundly rebuked on its release). In the preceding years, the Smiths have been a lightning rod for criticism and ridicule as a result of their rumored open marriage and the press run for Will’s memoir. A lot of quotes were taken out of context and used to demean and mock the man, who we know has social media and uses it often. In addition to the way people have talked about his kids, it probably is safe to say he’s had just about enough of the jokes.

Smith later apologized for the slap and faces possible disciplinary measures up to and including expulsion from The Academy Of Motion Picture Arts And Sciences.

The Game Unsurprisingly Doesn’t Think The Oscars Should Investigate Will Smith Over That Slap

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Will Smith smacking Chris Rock at this Sunday’s Oscars ceremony remains the hot topic of conversation on social media as more celebrities and guests share their thoughts on the surprising (but not that surprising) incident. While some, like co-host Amy Schumer, continue to pretend that it was the most traumatizing event of their lives, others, such as Daniel Radcliffe, are “dramatically bored” by the overblown kerfuffle, which distracted from other meaningful conversations like celebrating Questlove and his collaborators’ Summer Of Soul win.

And while the actors are all seemingly aghast that a man from West Philadelphia would physically confront another man from Brooklyn (two places where such things are a fairly regular occurrence, to be honest), Will’s fellow rappers seem less distraught on the whole. While 50 Cent, Drake, Nicki Minaj, and others either expressed sympathy for Smith or made jokes about the slap, others like Lil Nas X trolled the hilarious overreactions by fans on Twitter who brought up weird and frankly unlikely hypotheticals to score woke points. Now, another member of that fraternity has weighed in.

Compton rapper The Game posted a long caption pointing out the hypocrisy of the Academy for launching a disciplinary investigation. “They didn’t even want to give it to him in the first place,” he posited. “He acted off impulse & imposed a slap down out of frustration & embarrassment on behalf of his wife. Most people with opinions on the situation don’t have a committed relationship let alone a marriage of over 20 years to weigh against his feelings in the matter. He’s human & comedy is not always an excuse to publicly humiliate people especially while sitting front & center. Although violence anywhere is & should always be depicted in a negative light, this was a lul ass slap in defense of a woman battling a very delicate health issue. I’ll close by saying, they don’t want us to be equal, never have & never will.”

Of course, it’s unsurprising that The Game would side with Will in this situation, considering he got in hot water for a similar situation at the Drew League a few years ago. But he also makes some strong points, especially in calling out how several prior winners, including Harvey Weinstein and Roman Polanski, were allowed to keep awards even after being investigated by police — and in Weinstein’s case, convicted — of way worse things than delivering a love tap to a fellow member during a live broadcast.

In any case, I’m probably with Harry Potter on all of this. There are way more important things going on in the world; maybe we should focus on those.