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

Were the three presenters good? Don't normally watch the Oscars but with those three it might be worth catching up on?

@okayigetit

No you’re shocked because someone got slapped dear, oh and it wasn’t a joke. Openly calling out how a woman looks because of a health condition isn’t funny. Can’t say I’m that shocked about the slap. ❄️

@AnnesBrokenSlate

Words are not the same as violence. Justifying Will Smith's violence is giving carte blanche to every abusive man out there. They are quick to blame other people for 'making them hit' them. Chris Rock didn't make Will hit him. Will has to take responsibility for his own actions.

A lot of the comments on this show that we have a long, long, long way to go before people understand about abuse. And before people 'get' that a man who uses his fists/hands/feet when he can't win with his words - isn't a protective man; he's a violent man.

Bingo.

Who decides when a joke deserves an assault?

A slippery and dangerous slope.

Also where on earth were security? And how was Will allowed to not only walk back to his seat, but stay for the rest of the ceremony and accept an award!? I find that more shocking than the hit.

It’s not Bingo at all because we are not referring to a man who is beating up his wife because “she made him do it”. There are no nuanced conversations on mumsnet, it’s all very black and white.

So because WS slapped a bloke he’s now labelled an abusive wife beater? Riiiigghhtt.

Any more pearls of wisdom from the bingo crew?

He then should have taken the mike and talked about the inappropriateness of the ‘joke’ and how insulting it is to women who are constantly judged by their appearance. In doing so, he would have protected his wife, received support from the audience and viewing public, embarrassed Chris Rock and then to top it all off he would have won the well deserved Oscar

Absolutely. He just played the father of two breathtakingly talented black women who have been the focus of misogynistic comments about their looks for years. He had the perfect opportunity to focus on the women. Instead he commented about his calling as a protector and how love makes you do crazy things.

Oh god the snowflakes are out in force

Not a snowflake @Eyedropeyeflop, a survivor of domestic abuse who is angry that this violence is ok because it’s on stage at a glitzy ceremony. Why is it okay to joke about will smith hitting someone? Would you joke about my xh hitting me? What if I had made a shit joke, would I deserve it then?

Lol I think it's more snowflakey reacting how will smith did to a lame joke than it is being shocked over a physical assault on telly!

EXACTLY this! I imagine the people cheering Will Smith on may also have strong views about things.

Doesn’t even matter which side of the fence you fall on. Have you ever have a strong opinion on a religion, babies with pierced ears, racism, people on benefits, politics?

Is it ok if a person gets offended by whatever your view is, takes it personally, and physically attacks you for it?

Because anyone condoning Will Smith’s actions is advocating for exactly that. Someone, somewhere will be mortally offended/emotionally hurt by an opinion you hold. If you voice it, is it ok for anyone to smack you?

@AskItaliano

Also where on earth were security? And how was Will allowed to not only walk back to his seat, but stay for the rest of the ceremony and accept an award!? I find that more shocking than the hit.

Good point. I don't know why he wasn't escorted out. Surely there was plenty of security?

I think you are discrediting people who have actually been through systemic domestic abuse at the hands of a partner.

This isn’t the same.

Many blokes get into altercations with other men (I’m not saying that’s right) that doesn’t automatically put them in the wife beating bracket.

I won't jump straight to wife beater looking at that incident? Like I said before something else behind that from WS.

Anyway from what I've seen JPS wears the trousers in that house!

zeds

I have disabilities and the best thing you can do is laugh about them.I’m sorry someone has taught you that

No ones taught me that at all. My life is full of love and support but when you have a disease that cripples every aspect of your life (and I'm not talking about being bald!), that's taken away so much of your independence and choice, that could drag you down every minute of the day, then laughing and joking about it brings light, it weakens its power over you, it diminishes it, I'm not making fun of me, I'm making fun of the disability, I'm not the disability. Having a sense of humour has got me through 41 years of life limiting illness, its seen me through the darkest of times, it's got me through. I dont need you to feel sorry for me.

WS sure was able to get up on the stage quickly!

Can’t believe people still using snowflake as an insult. 🙄

@EvilGoldfish

Everyone has opinions on such matters. An opinion is different to a personal attack because it wasn’t a joke. It really wasn’t. He openly insulted his wife publically.

@DigsDilemma

I think Chris Rock deserved a slap. My son has hair loss. It's a horrible thing to deal with without being publicly humiliated as well.

So it's ok to go round slapping people who say something we don't like now? That gives a hell of a lot of abusers carte blanche to hit their partners then. Is that also ok?

It's amazing how much analysis there is over Rock's comments here, folks. If not scripted, probably by someone else, then surely it was a really impromptu comment that I thought was meant as a compliment.

Because gi Jane is a pretty beautiful, strong, bald bad ass lady. How does jada suffer in comparison? Especially as being bald is, for an extreme hair style, quite common in showbiz and looks stunning on jada and many others. How is it an insult? How is it disgusting, bullying? To compare you to another bald lady who looked absolutely great?

And then there is all this minute unpicking of what seems to be an off the cuff, spontaneous compliment. Chris rock was employed because he is witty, charming, can think on his feet. I doubt he spent more than a millisecond thinking of that joke, I doubt he even considered it might not hit home, because he was looking for a comparison, found a very favourable one, probably thought that jada and will were also people known for their humour.... Obviously not.

Will smith's actions were utterly shocking and inexcusable. How dare everyone give him a standing ovation before he had apologised to Chris Rock, how dare they decide to exonerate him?

Not impressed.

@Lampzade

I just think that it is a real shame that he behaved in such a manner. Some people don’t even realise that Will Smith won an Oscar. He has been fighting for more diversity at the Oscars. Now he wins an Oscar his win has been tainted by the punch. I agree with those who said that she should have gone onstage. He then should have taken the mike and talked about the inappropriateness of the ‘joke’ and how insulting it is to women who are constantly judged by their appearance. In doing so, he would have protected his wife, received support from the audience and viewing public, embarrassed Chris Rock and then to top it all off he would have won the well deserved Oscar

This should have been the response. Plus a sentence about GI Jane being a strong, badass and taking it as a compliment.

However in that moment anger took over. It was sad, and I think Will is/had been struggling recently.

I think people are looking at things at the wrong angle here. “It was just a joke” yes, but she has a condition that causes hairloss and we as normal people how no idea how they affects her day to day life. “But he shouldn’t of been violent” alright then let’s mock a woman’s appearance on national telly for entertainment then eh? Both Will and Chris are in the wrong here

@toomanytwinkies

Who decides when a joke deserves an assault?

A slippery and dangerous slope.

Who decides when personal insults about medical conditions are jokes? Also a slippery slope.

@Eyedropeyeflop

It’s not Bingo at all because we are not referring to a man who is beating up his wife because “she made him do it”. There are no nuanced conversations on mumsnet, it’s all very black and white.

So because WS slapped a bloke he’s now labelled an abusive wife beater? Riiiigghhtt.

Any more pearls of wisdom from the bingo crew?

Why am I not surprised that someone who uses a snowflake emoji would use the sentence 'they were asking for it'?

Vile. Please reflect on your values.

@drSaibatsu

all the people here defending a woman who had as a 48 year old an affair with an 18-year old friend of her kid

What's that got to do with it?

It's to do with what I think it the real animus between the two is about and why Will Smith felt the urge to protect his wife's honour is the shameful and ridiculous and potentially career ending way,

The pair have somewhat overshared their unconventional married life and parenting.

Look, most of you would be grossed out by someone not famous who was near 50 having an affair with their son or daughter's friend aged 18 Don't say you wouldn't be.

That, his polyamory, and letting their 15 year old leave home to find himself, their denials (even in the face of loads of evidence) that they were Scientologists before 2015 all paint a picture of people who at one turn fell 'above' convention, but on another, fell others secretly mock them a bit for it?

Their wacky kids, wild hair, constant TV interviews about their open relationship, seriously, she's not butt hurt about a smokin haircut, he's butthurt because he's the butt of jokes sometimes. particularly about his wife having it off with his son's 18 year old mate

That's why he hit Chris Rock

Law of unintended consequences is he makes her appear as if she can't defend herself, and/or shaved head is ugly.

Urgh, the lot of them

I wonder if Chris Rock and Jada Pinkett Smith are/were friends, they both did voiceovers in the Madagascar series, and while they wouldn’t necessarily have ‘worked’ together on the film, what with it being an animation, they would have done press junkets together surely?

@Eyedropeyeflop

It’s not Bingo at all because we are not referring to a man who is beating up his wife because “she made him do it”. There are no nuanced conversations on mumsnet, it’s all very black and white.

So because WS slapped a bloke he’s now labelled an abusive wife beater? Riiiigghhtt.

Any more pearls of wisdom from the bingo crew?

I agree, it really is ridiculous on here sometimes.