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

I think we have moved on from women having to have long hair to be beautiful, I have no hair and I don't consider myself ugly.

plenty of stars (including jada with her braids, dyed hair, undercuts over the years) don't have long straight hair.

And she wore it out and proud.

Still can't see the issue

@Nancydrawn

Everyone who's there said it was real. You can see the unedited moment on twitter.

What a very strange moment. I felt particularly bad for Questlove, whose amazing documentary got totally overshadowed when it was announced a moment later.

I am also very, very uncomfortable with anyone having such a hair-trigger for violence. If that's what they do in front of everyone, at one of the most televised live events of the year...puts me on edge.

Thank god for Amy Schumer and Denzel Washington, who pulled things back on track in different ways.

I always liked Will Smith, but if he's capable of that in front of millions of people, what does he do in private?

The joke was as mellow as you can get, he wasn't even criticising Jada, just pointing out her head with a comparison to GI Jane who is a strong character, not someone you'd compare a person to in a derogatory way. Jada may be sensitive about alopecia but a woman with her means has the option to wear a wig and chose to rock it, she will have known that it would have been commented on.

Regardless, whatever the joke it doesn't excuse violence, Smith being like 'I'm defending my family' is bullshit, he physically assaulted someone over a joke, his family wasn't in danger. It was such a weird thing to happen. I wonder if he will have got it bad from Jada later for having laughed at the joke initially.

Just awful, can't understand why the police can't charge him without Rock's say so, is that how it works for every crime? You can't prosecute an assault on someone unless they're the ones to press charges? A crime happened. If that's the law there then that's awful as many times victims are too afraid to come forward to prosecute.

The focus will be on violence which should be but shocking how black women are a fair game in comedy
Only person to blame for this is Will Smith. He absolutely should have called out Chris Rock, but he’s now made this about his own unacceptable behaviour by resorting to violence.

@Eyedropeyeflop

He deserved the slap. It was not a joke. In the same way some banter clearly isn’t “banter”. My husband would have done the same but then I know he fiercely loves me and would never have me disrespected like that in public.

People always come up against it going around acting like that and sometimes you trigger someone who you would never think would be capable of violence.

He might think twice next time. I hope Will doesn’t feel too upset by the whole thing.

So someone upsets you, so husband can slap them, seems like a sensible and balanced approach to life.

So physical assault is ok if you fiercely love someone.

What is someone makes fun of my relgion and then I proceed to physcially assault them or worse? That is ok as well, right?

@Soul11Soul

And this is how far we have come in 2022...

Man 1 makes misogynist joke about a women's appearance not conforming to stereotypical beauty standards.
Man 2 is so full of toxic masculinity he resorts violence to teach Man 1 a lesson, thus reinforcing other stereotypes that women can not defend themselves against such "banter" and/or that he doesn't tolerate his possessions to be disrespected. The "Take my wife's name out of your fucking mouth" tirade was horrific. So what's pissing you off here? The fact that he made fun of a woman's appearance or the fact that he did it to a woman who belongs to you.

Yeah. Gross on every level. Jada is a grown woman capable of handling her own business. The fact that Will felt it acceptable to go up and assault someone for a joke at Jada's expense suggests to me he feels he owns her on some level. Just disgusting.

Reminds me of a time I was walking through the prison I worked at and two early twenties offenders were behind me. One of them shouted that I had a nice arse, and just as I was about to turn around and handle it the other one went 'mate, shut up, what are you doing, that's not right, she might have a boyfriend'. It started so well initially!

WS assaulted CR plain and simple. I’ve always been a fan of WS but this should not be let go. Why should he get away with an actual assault?

The standing ovation from the crowd when WS gave his speech is sickening; it’s almost as if they have condoned what he’s done.

Yes the joke was hurtful and it wasn’t funny, but assault is not acceptable. I also feel for CR in this, he didn’t deserve to be slapped and he didn’t deserve the crowd cheering on WS during his speech.

how did he say being bald was wrong. I still can't see it. And she clearly went out bald and proud.

She hasn't had a conventional hair do in years

And Chris Rock made a film about black hair straightening - he knows the issues around hair and black hair

I mean if he had said she was bald when she was wearing a wig,m that might be different.

Also, she wasn't bald, she had a no 1

@CotswoldWoolly

The focus will be on violence which should be but shocking how black women are a fair game in comedy Only person to blame for this is Will Smith. He absolutely should have called out Chris Rock, but he’s now made this about his own unacceptable behaviour by resorting to violence.

Were you equally offened by the previous jokes about white middle class women 'Karen's'? Was that shokcing to you, worthy of a physical assault on the comedian?

Looking at the clip, Will Smith seemed to find the remark funny at first but his wife didn't which is probably what prompted him to go on stage and whack Chris. I thought it might have been a 'staged' punch but from Will's later shouts, it seems to have been the real thing.

I have to say Jada P-S looks lovely, even with little hair. She has a good face with marvellous bone structure.

@gazprom

I think we have moved on from women having to have long hair to be beautiful, I have no hair and I don't consider myself ugly.

plenty of stars (including jada with her braids, dyed hair, undercuts over the years) don't have long straight hair.

And she wore it out and proud.

Still can't see the issue

The issue is not that bald women can't be beautiful, as Pinkett-Smith and, indeed, Demi Moore as GI Jane prove.

The issue is that they can't be bald without men implying, publicly, that there's something wrong with it, and joking about how they must be preparing for some sort of film role with an extreme cut. Insulting them for it. Even when it's not a choice.

As you know.

@fromdownwest

If people go round upsetting people on purpose by “starting it” they shouldn’t then be shocked when someone else “finishes it”.

It wasn’t a joke.

If you don’t want to get a slap perhaps just be a nice, respectable person in the first place and your chances will greatly diminished.

Fairly simple.

what is the implication Chris Rock made about shaved head and GI Jane.

Can you break it down?

I just see him tamely remarking on an extreme cut (and comparing to another another well-known one, won an oscar as well I think?)

It was to imply that there's something wrong with being bald.

At no point did he imply that.

@fromdownwest I’m not sure there was anything in my post condoning any form of violence or saying it was ‘worthy’ - quite the reverse.

Will Smith is laughing at the 'joke' and then he gets up and slaps/punches followed by a tirade of swear words.

Violence is never right.

what's wrong with implying that someone with an extreme hair cut (and she has a no 1 not baldness) with reprising a famous role?

He wasn't saying she was ugly, or mannish, or not desired by others etcc

I still cannot see it

She's never had those Kardashian type locks and had extreme cuts for AGES, this is just probably the extreme-ist

I thought she looked fab

@jungledoc

Because sometimes I think there is justification for violence.

By that logic how do you retaliate to someone hitting you?

Hit them back that's exactly the kind of justification I'm talking about. If someone hits me I'm going to hit them back. Not sure how many people would just stand and allow someone to hit them really.

@gazprom

what's wrong with implying that someone with an extreme hair cut (and she has a no 1 not baldness) with reprising a famous role?

He wasn't saying she was ugly, or mannish, or not desired by others etcc

I still cannot see it

She's never had those Kardashian type locks and had extreme cuts for AGES, this is just probably the extreme-ist

I thought she looked fab

Because it's not an extreme haircut by choice....she has alopecia

I’m really shocked by WS’s lack of control. Must be quite a few steps to take onto the stage between his trigger reaction and slapping CR. That makes it a choice (which of course everything is) rather than a reaction (which is probably what he will argue).

I don’t think violence is the answer; I don’t think people should go around slapping each other no matter how provoked they feel. Having said that, I definitely can’t get as worked up and angry as most of the posters on here.

@VampireMoney

It was to imply that there's something wrong with being bald.

At no point did he imply that.

Ok, he made a point of noting Jada's cut to get a laugh because he and his audience don't think there's anything funny, and therefore amiss, about being bald. That's exactly how humour works, you point out stuff completely neutrally with no implications either way. The sky is blue, water is wet, hilarity ensues, nobody has any reason for offence. Har har har har. Get off the stage.

Back to the grown up conversation that isn't completely obtuse.

This tweet from Will and Jadas son, says it all really.

https://twitter.com/jaden/status/1508295733551632389?s=21&t=oYUlX66GG_StGDCKqG9tYg

They are not a 'vessel for love' that's for sure!

Jada is very capable of standing up for herself as are many many women so why didn't he sit back and allow her to handle it in her way, he wasn't defending his wife he knows she's able to do that herself.

@Swayingpalmtrees

Because sometimes I think there is justification for violence

Putin would agree with you plenty You are thankfully a minority.

Obviously by that logic you don't think Ukrainians should be fighting back? They should just sit back and allow the citizens of Ukraine be attacked and murdered?

[quote Eyedropeyeflop]@fromdownwest

If people go round upsetting people on purpose by “starting it” they shouldn’t then be shocked when someone else “finishes it”.

It wasn’t a joke.

If you don’t want to get a slap perhaps just be a nice, respectable person in the first place and your chances will greatly diminished.

Fairly simple.[/quote]
Ok - so someone says something to me in a pub on a Saturday night as a light hearted comment, I however take offence, I punch said person, all ok as 'they started it' and I was just finishing it.

The amount of people that are ok with physical violence as the tool to resolve a conflict on here is quite staggering, the Irony of the other global news not lost me either. If you believe in something, physical violence as a resolution is ok...

@Swayingpalmtrees so you are OK with violence when it's self defence? You have completely contradicted yourself and agreed with me. Sometimes violence is acceptable, and that was mh point in the first place, yet you jumped on me to disagree and then later agreed 🤣👍

He wasn't saying she was ugly, or mannish, or not desired by others etcc

GIJane chooses to shave her head to become more "mannish".That's the whole point.

Jada may have some extreme styles but her current hair style is dictated by a medical condition. She has no choice.