Many people have weighed in on the infamous slap Will Smith laid on comedian Chris Rock shortly before accepting his Oscar for making a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett-Smith. There are a plethora people who supported Smith in the move to protect the honor of his wife, but fellow comedian/talk show host Steve Harvey says that Will Smith should’ve and could’ve handled it another way.
Harvey called the slap by Smith a “Hollywood move”because being that it was on national TV, it was highly unlikely that Chris Rock was going to retaliate. Harvey believes that if the Academy Awards Best Actor would’ve handled it like a man backstage in the press room, the end result may have been completely different.
At this year’s Academy Awards, Questlove got the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature, for Summer Of Soul (…Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised). That was the biggest moment of his night, but the main takeaway of the event more broadly happened immediately before, when Chris Rock, who was on stage to present the documentary award, got slapped by Will Smith. Now, it seems Questlove confirmed that while giving his acceptance speech, he was (understandably) thrown off by what happened just moments earlier.
Yesterday, a Twitter user wrote, “I think the whole Will Smith assault rattled @questlove who had to give a speech like 90 seconds later. He couldn’t even remember the names of his co-winners. #Oscars.” Questlove responded with just an emoji of a fax machine. Emojipedia notes the fax machine emoji is “sometimes used in emoji form as an alternative to the words ‘facts,’ due to the similarity of pronunciation.” So, based on Questlove’s usage of it, it looks like he’s confirming he was indeed rattled while giving his speech.
Meanwhile, before sending that tweet, Questlove talked about the win on The Tonight Show, with neither him nor Jimmy Fallon directly mentioning Smith or Rock. Questlove told Fallon he was meditating during the commercial break before the award was presented. He also noted, “I realized that that was a real moment, like, maybe three seconds before I spoke words. In my mind, they’re just doing a sketch or whatever and I’m just like, ‘OK Ahmir, remember to thank your mom, your dad, thank Tariq [Trotter, aka Black Thought of The Roots]…’ So I was not present at all. I was just in a blank slate.”
The Oscars were packed with many notable moments. Will Smith slapping Chris Rock on TV dominated every headline on Monday. In the third hour of the show, Chris Rock appeared to deliver an award for Best Documentary. Before running through the nominees, Rock got a few jokes off, and his final one was targeted toward Jada Pinkett Smith, highlighting her hair and asking was it for a sequel to G.I. Jane. The moment would lead to a slap from Smith to Rock. A new report from PEOPLE stated The Academy considered removing Will Smith from the ceremony.
“Having Will removed was definitely discussed seriously,” an industry source stated.
We are sure you know by now, but Will Smith slapped Chris Rock on the Oscars stage. Following the moment, Will Smith apologized to The Academy during his acceptance speech for his role as Richard Williams in King Richard. Following the viral moment, the Los Angeles Police Department issued a statement, revealing Rock will not press charges.
“LAPD investigative entities are aware of an incident between two individuals during the Academy Awards program,” the statement read. “The incident involved one individual slapping another. The individual involved has declined to file a police report.
“If the involved party desires a police report at a later date, LAPD will be available to complete an investigative report.”
Diddy was the first presenter to hit the stage following Will Smith slapping Chris Rock. Diddy stated they would fix the issue like a family at The Gold Party after the ceremony, he later revealed to Page Six that it was solved at the Vanity Fair event.
“That’s not a problem. That’s over. I can confirm that,” Diddy said. “It’s all love, they’re brothers.”
Page Six also notes Rock and Smith agreed to work out their issues after the ceremony.
Chris Rock wasn’t the only casualty of Will Smith’s rage at Sunday night’s Oscars ceremony. Sure, it was Rock’s face that absorbed the power of Smith’s smack after the comedian made a joke about the King Richard star’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. But the confusion that ensued in the moments following the unexpected skirmish left many viewers trying to piece together what they had just seen, as the American broadcast cut the live feed in order to censor Smith’s language and some of what had happened. Had it all been a skit?
As viewers feverishly texted friends and checked Twitter to see what exactly they had missed, one person seemed to get lost in the shuffle: Questlove, the Philly-born musician who first rose to fame as the frontman for The Roots, and who has racked up credits as a songwriter, record producer, author, actor, film producer, and director (when he’s not heading up the house band for The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon).
It was Questlove, a.k.a. Ahmir Thompson, who ended up inching one step closer to an EGOT when he won the Oscar for Best Documentary for Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised), an outstanding reminder of the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, a celebration of Black music and culture, which was largely overshadowed by Woodstock, as the two events partly overlapped.
Fortunately, legendary comedian/actor George Wallace made sure to call out Questlove’s achievement, and assure Quest—who directed and executive produced the doc—that “We saw that sh*t, Quest!”
Y’all let’s make sure @QuestLove wakes up to a mountain of love for winning an Oscar and whatnot. We saw that shit, Quest!
Meanwhile, Smith has officially issued an apology to Rock for how things went down at last night’s ceremony, saying that he is “a work in progress.” Maybe an “I’m sorry” to Questlove will come next.
One of my absolute favorite things in hip-hop is how the timely pop culture references often evolve with the times. Some rhymes age poorly, depending on the fortunes of the celebrity or work of art they address — see practically any NBA line that isn’t about Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, or LeBron James. Some rhymes, however, do the opposite, becoming even more exquisite as their subjects continue their careers, transforming the context and adding new layers of meaning to the originals.
Case in point: J. Cole‘s 2014 Forest Hills Drive single is currently undergoing an analytical reevaluation on Twitter thanks in large part to last night’s Academy Awards ceremony. In the song, Cole raps, “I want a real love, dark-skinned Aunt Viv love / That Jada and that Will love / That leave a toothbrush at your crib love / And you ain’t gotta wonder whether that’s your kid love.” At the time of its release, it was a fairly straightforward line evoking a wholesome romantic relationship, using Will and Jada Pinkett Smith as examples (ironic, considering the song’s title).
But after last night’s Oscars show, during which Will Smith stormed onstage and slapped comedian Chris Rock for making an off-color joke about Jada’s hair (which she shaved due to alopecia, a condition that makes sufferers’ hair fall out), fans have revisited just what “that Jada and Will love” really means, knowing what we know now — which is that Will can and will put his hands on somebody for offending his wife.
it’s crazy cuz every few months we get a new meaning for the “Jada and that Will love” lyric from j. cole
Naturally, responses vary. Some say the line also aged poorly, while others have noted the degrees by which it has evolved in the months since we were all teasing them about having an open relationship (don’t hide your hand now). Although a number of celebrities have weighed in, it’s fascinating — and really, really funny — that the person who had one of the wildest takes did so years ago by total accident.
“y’all sitting here laughing,” he wrote. “but imagine if will smith was an average kid that no one understands mom and dad and vicky always giving him commands (bed, twerp) doom and gloom up in his room.” This is, of course, the opening of the theme song from TheFairly Oddparents, the Nickelodeon animated series in which 10-year-old Timmy Turner gets up to all sorts of magical shenanigans with his fairy godparents, Cosmo and Wanda. The non sequitur just throws light on how goofy it is for us all to still be talking about this 15 hours later.
y’all sitting here laughing but imagine if will smith was an average kid that no one understands mom and dad and vicky always giving him commands (bed, twerp) doom and gloom up in his room Is broken instantly by his magic little fish who grant his every wish cause in reality they
Nas also took a swipe at one of the more obnoxious takes, which came from a user who somehow inserted Betty White into a hypothetical situation in which Smith smacked her or Bob Saget instead of Chris Rock. Needless to say, that account is on private now, but screenshots last forever. Lil Nas riffed on the hypothetical turning the late comedic actress into the abolitionist hero Harriet Tubman (since we’re resurrecting dead people to make doofy points now anyway). “Just a reminder that if Will Smith had built a time machine and went back in time and slapped harriet tubman as a baby for a joke she made (however insensitive), she easily could’ve fallen backward, cracked her skull and never freed slaves,” he joked. “Violence is NEVER okay.”
you’re laughing? will smith hypothetically killed betty white and you’re laughing? pic.twitter.com/jXQ5SegSos
Just a reminder that if Will Smith had built a time machine and went back in time and slapped harriet tubman as a baby for a joke she made (however insensitive), she easily could’ve fallen backward, cracked her skull and never freed slaves. Violence is NEVER okay.
It’s important to remember here that not only is Chris Rock fine, he also declined to press charges and made up with Smith just hours later, according to no less a source than Sean “Diddy” Combs. The moment also may have saved the Oscars, so I’m sure even the Academy isn’t complaining too hard. Also, Harriet Tubman toted a shotgun (this is canon), so we’re sure she didn’t have any problem with violence at all.
Truth be told, part of what made Will Smith slapping Chris Rock during last night’s Oscars ceremony so shocking is that, since his beginnings as a rapper, Smith has put on something of a nice-guy persona. Even his biggest hit ever, “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It,” is a lighthearted dance floor anthem, which runs contrary to many folks’ perceptions of hardcore, mean-mugging hip-hop tough guys — even if Smith himself is from the same streets as them.
It seems, though, that even his out-of-character moment couldn’t stop him from enjoying his night after winning the award for Best Actor for his performance in King Richard. After the ceremony was over, Smith attended the Vanity Fair afterparty, where he celebrated his first-ever win — and what better song to soundtrack the celebration than his massive 1997 hit?
Good morning. So, last night, every ounce of West Philly jumped out of Safe Black Guy Will Smith, who left fresh prints (heyo) on Chris Rock’s face during the Academy Awards after Rock made an ill-considered joke at the expense of Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith. In 2021, Jada revealed her ongoing struggle with alopecia, an autoimmune disorder that can make a person’s hair fall out. Rock, perhaps not realizing this, remarked that Jada’s freshly-shaved head could make her a candidate to star in a G.I. Jane remake (the titular character shaves her head upon joining the US Marines).
In a video taken from an international broadcast of the ceremony, Jada’s face says it all. For Will, who has had to put up with years of jokes about the couple’s marriage, this last straw broke the camel’s back, and he strode onto the stage to make an example of Rock, slapping him across the face. Although Rock tried to play the moment off, Will shouted from his seat: “Keep my wife’s name out of your mouth.” Fortunately, it seems Rock is taking things in stride, and according to Diddy, the two men had nothing but love afterward.
Obviously, those who saw the moment, whether live in person or watching at home, have thoughts about the possible overreaction, and the hot takes flew fast and furious on social media — including among Will Smith’s celebrity peers, including rappers like 50 Cent, Drake, Nicki Minaj, and more.
While 50, Drake, and others brought out the jokes, Nicki gave an empathetic — and vaguely threatening — take, expressing empathy for Jada Pinkett Smith. “Imagine what it must feel like to be losing your hair to the point where you have to shave it bald,” she wrote. “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.”
Check out the responses, reactions, and hot takes below.
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 … (continue to next tweet)
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. (Continued again(last time)on next tweet)
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.