Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

Will Smith punches Chris Rock on stage at the Oscars.

999 replies

CheeseMuffin · 28/03/2022 04:10

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

OP posts:
Thread gallery
5
CotswoldWoolly · 28/03/2022 06:12

Wouldn’t the joke have been scripted, rather than written by Chris Rock himself? As they are generally for these ceremonies. They’d also have rehearsed. Did nobody think then that the joke was offensive to someone with alopecia?
That said, Will Smith should never have hit him. Call out, absolutely, but his violence is absolutely not excusable.

unname · 28/03/2022 06:12

@youvegottenminuteslynn

The only real point being to shock and get people talking about the show. The ratings for the past few years have been really poor. If it was a setup, very few people would have been told and perhaps only very loosely planned. “Chris makes a joke about Jada. Will storms up on stage and fake slaps him.”

Then the joke comes and it’s actually quite mean and shocking, well over the line. What was meant to be a bit lighthearted and funny turned ugly. All of the reactions could be real; only a handful would have known it was meant to be a setup.

They do sometimes have stunts like this, which is why I initially thought it was likely pre-planned.

Its very hard to imagine Will Smith hitting anyone. He’s always been lovely and good natured.

Iamacatslave · 28/03/2022 06:12

Looks staged to me.

Tidlo · 28/03/2022 06:13

Anyone who thinks this account is incredibly stupid. And white. Two black men are not going to choose to do that, they know what the world is like, they know what's coming.

PAFMO · 28/03/2022 06:13

@rabbitwoman

Errrmmmm....

So, firstly, don't people poke fun at men going bald and wearing toupees all the time? What about Matt Lucas, he is bald through alopecia and I am sure I have seen him be the butt of jokes?

Was it really so awful? I have seen worse, much worse on telly before. I have a mild sleeping disorder, by the way, and get a bit of ribbing about falling asleep sometimes, if my husband reacted like that I would be absolutely furious with him.

Frankly, there is something else going on. That had the look of a last straw moment, and will Smith acted like an idiot. Chris rock was unable to defend himself or retaliate in that situation, I bet Smith saw red. As he walks away he is doing some really aggressive posturing,

Just as an aside, I was so taken aback when I first saw the trailer for his film, that a film with the two amazing, stunning, incredible Williams sisters should be called King Richard, wtaf...

I'm sure we've all seen worse. That make it OK does it? Anything about a disability you think shouldn't be the butt of a joke or is everything OK? Were you one of the people who laughed when Donald Trump imitated the journalist with cerebral palsy?
EmmaH2022 · 28/03/2022 06:17

@sashh

I think it was genuine, if you look at Jada's face she clearly isn't happy.

twitter.com/i/status/1508270345819672582

Apparently his speech mentioned 'protecting' a lot.

No one seems to have footage of Jada reacting to the slap though.

I thought that joke was appalling but there are a lot of subjects I think should be off limits for public jokes and I know that's an unpopular opinion.

Pp said it had the feel of "last straw"...yes, but also as someone who takes a lot of meds myself, I wonder if there's any element of that.

I think Chris Rock is right not to press charges, that would be hell for all concerned.

ChillyB · 28/03/2022 06:18

Disappointed in Will Smith, particularly as he’s spoken out in the past about the impact growing up in a home where his father abused his mother. He knows better than this and should have done better.
Chris Rock is not funny and never has been funny, joking about someone’s illness is really scraping the barrel.
Will Smith hitting him wasn’t the answer though.

IroningBoardz · 28/03/2022 06:18

I can’t understand why people think it’s staged. It’s obviously real. Confused

EmmaH2022 · 28/03/2022 06:18

@Iamacatslave

Looks staged to me.
No benefit to anyone though surely?
Alondra · 28/03/2022 06:18

I didn't see the incident but I saw Will's speech and my first thought was "he's high". He was too emotional and kept talking and talking. Frankly, I'm not surprised to read about the punching.

EmmaH2022 · 28/03/2022 06:19

@Alondra

I didn't see the incident but I saw Will's speech and my first thought was "he's high". He was too emotional and kept talking and talking. Frankly, I'm not surprised to read about the punching.
Cross post...yes.
unname · 28/03/2022 06:19

@CotswoldWoolly

Wouldn’t the joke have been scripted, rather than written by Chris Rock himself? As they are generally for these ceremonies. They’d also have rehearsed. Did nobody think then that the joke was offensive to someone with alopecia? That said, Will Smith should never have hit him. Call out, absolutely, but his violence is absolutely not excusable.
I think they write most of their own material and also ad-lib. Ricky Gervais, for instance, clearly was held responsible by everyone for his own performance.
ComDummings · 28/03/2022 06:20

The joke (GI Jane) was really not funny considering Jada’s well-known health issues. But Will really fucked up by slapping Chris. It was not a set up, you can tell by both of their reactions. I hope Chris files assault charges because that was absolutely shocking behaviour and nobody deserves that.

unname · 28/03/2022 06:21

@Alondra

I didn't see the incident but I saw Will's speech and my first thought was "he's high". He was too emotional and kept talking and talking. Frankly, I'm not surprised to read about the punching.
Sadly, I’ve thought that whenever I see him for years now. So thin, too.
Sushi7 · 28/03/2022 06:21

Another celeb who thinks he’s above the law and he clearly is because a “normal” person would end up in a cell. It’s not a nice joke, but Will LAUGHED and then assaulted an innocent man. I used to really like Will Smith when he was younger. However, now there’s something about him and his family that give me the creeps.

LetHimHaveIt · 28/03/2022 06:21

I CANNOT believe anyone thinks the Academy set that up. Janet Jackson is still paying for Timberlake exposing her boob at the Super Bowl, nearly 20 years ago, ffs. But you think that in 2022, two black males, one of whom was nominated for and won the Best Actor Oscar, agree to participate in a stunt whereby one makes a terrible joke, and the other gets up on stage and smacks him in the mouth, while uttering the eff word?

Yep. Sure.

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

ComDummings · 28/03/2022 06:22

@IroningBoardz

I can’t understand why people think it’s staged. It’s obviously real. Confused
Exactly, they’re not that good at acting, it was obviously not staged.
PAFMO · 28/03/2022 06:22

@Alondra

I didn't see the incident but I saw Will's speech and my first thought was "he's high". He was too emotional and kept talking and talking. Frankly, I'm not surprised to read about the punching.
I think the speech was totally off script following what had happened. There was probably a Gwyneth style one that he ripped up.
unname · 28/03/2022 06:28

@Thisisit2022

With a whole host of people briefed not to utter the word "Ukraine" I am convinced that dropping the F bomb twice on live, worldwide TV was not a set up. I can't understand why he was laughing then suddenly driven to violence though.
It would be 100% typical of current American culture for them to be told not to say Ukraine while dropping the F bomb was perfectly acceptable. The bad language gets beeped out on live TV here.

Staged scenes gone wrong during live performances is are typical also; Janet Jackson having her costume ripped by Justin Timberlake at the Super Bowl springs to mind. That was 100% planned both but did not go down like they had hoped.

Inkanta · 28/03/2022 06:28

Wow !!Just seen this footage. The presenter looks like he was punched quite hard. It was an awful inappropriate joke though about Will Smith's wife's alopecia.

Alondra · 28/03/2022 06:29

PAFMO

I think the slap and the speech was part of the same issue. He had one too many lines.

DoobryWhatsit · 28/03/2022 06:29

@ChillyB

Disappointed in Will Smith, particularly as he’s spoken out in the past about the impact growing up in a home where his father abused his mother. He knows better than this and should have done better. Chris Rock is not funny and never has been funny, joking about someone’s illness is really scraping the barrel. Will Smith hitting him wasn’t the answer though.
"disappointed"? "hitting him wasn't the answer"?? This is how I speak to my FOUR YEAR OLD! This is not a lapse in judgement, it's assault.

We need to have much higher expectations of men, and we need to hold them accountable for their (awful) behaviour.

jungledoc · 28/03/2022 06:30

wtf

exLtEveDallas · 28/03/2022 06:30

I’m conflicted. I’ve always liked WS, and part of my applauds him ‘standing up for his wife’ but I can’t condone the violence. It would have sent a better message for them both to get up and walk out, especially with his win coming so soon after. Hindsight is 20/20.

jungledoc · 28/03/2022 06:31

Ftr, of course the joke was horrible. It doesn't mean you get to slap someone. And it certainly doesn't mean you get to blame your violence on "love," which is an upsetting excuse.

agree

Swipe left for the next trending thread