Will Smith punches Chris Rock on stage at the Oscars.

[CheeseMuffin]

I think I speak for us all when I ask WTF just happened?

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/mar/27/will-smith-punch-chris-rock-wife-joke-gi-jane-video-oscars

What would the right response be?

Jadas response was correct & Will could have done the same or defended alopecia during in speech. That would have made Chris Rock look bad instead the conversation is about Will & his marriage.

I think he snapped after all the jokes/press about Jadas affair & their open marriage.

I didn't get the "joke" what dis he even say?

I'm shocked by Will Smith. Disgusting behaviour.
Why was he not escorted off the premises?! FFS.

What stood out to me about the commercial break footage is that while she's not in shot most of the time, it appears that Jada is just sitting there throughout. I think what Rock said about her was utterly horrible but in terms of international attention it was a moment that would have made almost no impact unless she had chosen to speak about it later. By Will acting as he did, it's now front and centre worldwide and is something that will always be attached to her. Will took away her agency. Says, 'keep my wife's name out of your mouth,' making her identity primarily about her relationship to him. it's not, 'you hurt Jada' it's 'you insult me though my wife.' He made her unhappiness into something about him. He's getting comforted in the break, while she is largely left sitting there.

It's absolute red fucking flags all over the place. She is hurt but suddenly he's both a hero and a victim because of his own rage. Nasty fucking man.

he should've used his Oscar acceptance speech to slate Chris Rock, put him in his place, along with obviously thanking the academy etc etc etc
I'm so shocked that he punched CR and nobody, security etc. dragged him away and out of the auditorium. And then to go ahead and receive his Oscar and pose on the red carpet afterwards. No! They should take his Oscar away for this and he should be charged with assault. (and I can't stand CR, he's unfunny and the reference to Jade's hair was cruel and out of order)

I would be taking Will to court if I was Chris.

By Will acting as he did, it's now front and centre worldwide and is something that will always be attached to her. Will took away her agency. Says, 'keep my wife's name out of your mouth,' making her identity primarily about her relationship to him. it's not, 'you hurt Jada' it's 'you insult me though my wife.' He made her unhappiness into something about him. He's getting comforted in the break, while she is largely left sitting there.

Exactly it's all about him!

Utterly bizarre. Will Smith was laughing at the joke, as his demeanour and expression hadn’t changed from his reaction the last joke told, so that negates what a few have said about it was a ‘ohhh man, I’m going to lose my shit’ type laugh. That slap was utterly ridiculous and the whole thing was just embarrassing.
He’s so fake and performative imo, probably comes with the territory of being an actor I guess!!

It really did not look like the first time Will had decided to use his fists to sort out his problems to me, he looked supremely relaxed and complacent waltzing onto the stage and hitting someone like that, it was sickening to watch. It was the indifference that got to me. Someone so comfortable and untouchable they felt they could do what he did, in full public view was really seriously alarming. Like Jimmy Savile and other abusive men - in a different way it reminded me of him. No effort to even pretend to conform to decent behaviour.

I wonder how many assault cases and settlements are buried in the back of their office drawers. This is not going to go away, it has exposed something disturbing and ugly - the journalist will be digging away for sure. This was not staged, no one would ruin their glittering career like this for some headlines.

Didn’t Russell crow get his nomination taken off him a while ago for hitting someone. Not sure how this is different

@SpringHasSprungYay

I didn't get the "joke" what dis he even say?

I'm shocked by Will Smith. Disgusting behaviour.
Why was he not escorted off the premises?! FFS.

Joke about her playing GI Jane referencing her buzz cut which was due to alopecia, so not a fashion choice.

The camera shows Will laughing during the joke (and Jada still faced), then cuts away and the next time you see him he's on stage. No way to know what caused the changed in him and I am uncomfortable with the responsibility being placed on Jada and her 'look' for suddenly triggering his reaction.

@jungledoc

What would the right response be?

Jadas response was correct & Will could have done the same or defended alopecia during in speech. That would have made Chris Rock look bad instead the conversation is about Will & his marriage.

I think he snapped after all the jokes/press about Jadas affair & their open marriage.

Yes think Smith has a chip on his shoulder anyway with mocking comments about their relationship in the media so this gave him the perfect opportunity to project that anger.

What a wanker. Not sure what was more cringeworthy the theatrical slap or the sobbing acceptance speech.

The whole show was at the expense of many groups of people, karen’s, Texans etc…

Ok to mock the right, but touch the ‘left’ and a physical assault is a suitable riposte.

I imagine if people would be so cool about it if a white man had struck a black comedian.

It’s a slippery slope when physical assault becomes ok - regardless of the provocation.

I’ve wanted to slap my boss many times, after speaking to me like a piece of sh*t - are we saying it’s ok now?

@trancepants

What stood out to me about the commercial break footage is that while she's not in shot most of the time, it appears that Jada is just sitting there throughout. I think what Rock said about her was utterly horrible but in terms of international attention it was a moment that would have made almost no impact unless she had chosen to speak about it later. By Will acting as he did, it's now front and centre worldwide and is something that will always be attached to her. Will took away her agency. Says, 'keep my wife's name out of your mouth,' making her identity primarily about her relationship to him. it's not, 'you hurt Jada' it's 'you insult me though my wife.' He made her unhappiness into something about him. He's getting comforted in the break, while she is largely left sitting there.

It's absolute red fucking flags all over the place. She is hurt but suddenly he's both a hero and a victim because of his own rage. Nasty fucking man.

It's absolute red fucking flags all over the place. She is hurt but suddenly he's both a hero and a victim because of his own rage. Nasty fucking man.

Indeed. So so shocking.

Anyway it was quite a shocking thing to see at the Oscars. Couldn't believe it. At first I thought it was a set up.

@Covetthee

honestly this thread! Can’t believe WOMEN are condoning a violent act from a man!! Esp on mumsnet when a poster even mentions a man breathing the wrong way and you have everyone saying he is abusive 🙄

At the end of the day his response was not equal to the situation… Yes he can be pissed and rightly so, but it would have been a great opportunity to also use his words to speak of it, that would have put rock in his place rather than resorting to violence… And then using love as an excuse for being violent 🙄

It was not up to Will to react like an Alpha Male protecting his property. Jada is not his property, she is a grown up woman, confident and highly elocuent. It was up to her to react if she wanted to, what's disgusting is that her husband thought being violent on her behalf was ok.

It is a crime, but it may be in that state (because the victim does not want the police to press charges) nothing will happen. In the UK police CAN decide to press ahead even if the victim refuses although it makes cases much harder when the victim will not co-operate.

Its nothing to do with being a man
If someone took the piss out of my husbands illness, I'd want to punch them too
My children know never to make rude/personal remarks about people. @Motherdare, so yes I am thanks

@SpinningTheSeedsOfLove

This is going to be a really overwhelming and boring two weeks of discourse. Utterly predictable shit will be said.

I agree this will happen, @Nancydrawn. The Guardian is probably waking up its usual columnists for 500 words before breakfast. The Mail has Jan Moir on speed dial. Spiked magazine pundits will be frenetic. Nick Ferrari will ask Keir Starmer about it at 9am. And oh god, Lorraine Kelly …

and

This'll be manna from heaven to right-wing groups.

Oh gosh, it's already started. Now Jeremy Vine is asking if Will Smith should be stripped of his Oscar.

I must make a correction to earlier that it is Dave Chapelle with the trans thing, not Chris Rock.

Apologies

I imagine if people would be so cool about it if a white man had struck a black comedian.

I was thinking this too. There'd be riots.

I don't think they'd allow that sort of language on live tv.

They’ve been delaying live tv in the US for decades. One almost never hears hears the bad language on regular stations because it is bleeped out. Everyone on the screen knows this and also, he was not wearing a mic anyway?

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broadcast_delay#History

@Inkanta

Anyway it was quite a shocking thing to see at the Oscars. Couldn't believe it. At first I thought it was a set up.

Yes it was quite shocking. Who do people think they are they can just slap people that anger them fgs. Well done to Rock for carrying on seamlessly. You'd think most people would be very shaken by being assaulted live on TV.

Why do female actors still support this crap?
Why aren't they boycotting the whole thing?

They are setting the whole female movement back by decades just by being there and putting up this?

The ban on mentioning Ukraine, what kind of actor would even attend knowing this was the case?

No moral compass, no values and will trade their own souls for a chance in the spot light. It has surely by now dawned on Jada at least that she is the fodder in this all star male backdrop and her feelings and voice were entirely irrelevant before, during and after.

I don’t think this was a set up or staged, his wife suffers from alopecia and you can see on her face she’s uncomfortable with the joke about her hair, it was well out of line. I’ve a family member who suffered from alopecia and they’d have been horrified if some one made a joke about it in front of the world like this.