Will Smith/Chris Rock Oscars - where do you stand?

[Jaggerdagger]

www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/entertainment-arts-60898250

I'm a bit on the fence at the moment but shocked from watching this - wondered what others think?

YABU Will Smith had every right to wallop Chris. His wife was clearly deeply insulted. He deserved it.
YANBU Chris was just reading from a script and didn't deserve such a public assault.

I don't think it can have been staged - at least it was definitly a real slap

If you look at Chris Rocks face after you can see The Fresh Prints

Joke would have been scripted.
Violence is never OK - will Smith should have been removed there and then absolutely disgusting he wasnt

The most offensive part of all this is that Will felt he had to intervene on his wife behalf.

She is a well spoken assertive woman, she doesn't need her man to fight her battles. It's undermining her rather than showing to be supportive.

This was all about him and making himself feel good about being protective towards his family. I think celebrity has really got to him now and sadly loves himself a bit too much.

If my husband I'd done something like this, I would have been very pissed off with him.

No one from the writers to the producers to the presenters in rehearsals questioned a joke that would embarrass and upset a woman with a medical condition that affects her appearance? Pretty shit.

Neither of your votes. It was a rubbish joke but violence is never the answer, staged or otherwise.

Would it have happened if the host was female? Absolutely not.

I’ve lost all respect for Will Smith. Never had any for Chris Rock.

@vivainsomnia

The most offensive part of all this is that Will felt he had to intervene on his wife behalf.

She is a well spoken assertive woman, she doesn't need her man to fight her battles. It's undermining her rather than showing to be supportive.

This was all about him and making himself feel good about being protective towards his family. I think celebrity has really got to him now and sadly loves himself a bit too much.

If my husband I'd done something like this, I would have been very pissed off with him.

This too.

There is never ever an excuse for male violence.

I have alopecia (due to a disease) and I don't think people have any clue what it's like to actually go through losing your hair. Having clumps of your hair coming out in your hands in the shower, is actually traumatic and very upsetting. There are a lot more "side effects" than just fucking up your appearance (I'm not usually arsed about my appearance, don't wear make up or a bra etc yet I found it really distressing. People assume you have cancer (even on this thread someone did this). I don't think it's a disability but there are things people don't think about like eyelashes, getting dust etc in my eyes is awful. People who have never experienced it can empathise but won't truly know or understand what it is like to be on the receiving end of mocking jokes and how much it hurts.

There is still no excuse for male violence.

I would like to think my first instinct would be to stand up and shout at him, I may well want to go and punch him, but I know instead I would probably just start crying which would have been awful with a global audience. Awful. If my DH saw my face after a joke like that and saw I was hurt and humiliated, his first instinct would probably be to want to go and punch him, but he wouldn't as he isn't a violent man. He may well have shouted at him as a reaction but I know he definitely would have leaned over and asked me what I wanted to do, did I want to leave etc?

Neither of these men come out of this well. There is never an excuse for male violence and I am sick of people looking for "reasons" or "justifications" - they are excuses.

The whole situation is just fucked up. Will Smith should apologise, and face any legal actions that are due to his assault. But Chris Rock should also apologise. It's just not fucking funny in the least.

@Kolani

My honest take on this is, Will at first laughed because he found the joke funny, then he glanced at his wife and saw her scowl and thought, "SHIT! there's gonna be trouble I better do something!", so he marched up and socked one to Chris. Jada is now suitably appeased.

Oh ok, his behaviour was Jada's responsibility. Righty ho.

Bunch of muppets, the lot of them. Didn't watch the Oscars, didn't even know it was on, but everything should have been sorted backstage, talking. Disgraceful! they made a real spectacle of themselves :) I thought WS had more common sense. Obviously not.

There is some awful misogyny on this thread too.

@LaraDeSalle

Can you explain what I'm supposed to be seeing in the video?

I just saw this and it summed it up perfectly for me:

"There's a lot of ways Will Smith could have handled that better, but it's taken me two hours to think of all the better options so I understand by he chose that one in about 5 seconds"

Hindsight is a wonderful thing but I can understand why he reacted like that. Whilst it's not great I can understand it.

I hate how certain sections are pushing the 'words are the same as physical violence' defence. They're not the same. It's the excuse used by every violent man - 'I hit her because she deserved it because she said something mean'
Between those hot takes and the ones suggesting it's 'romantic' to have a partner that jumps to use his fists or hands to 'defend' you - I'm shocked at how little understanding there is of physical violence, abuse and red flags.
Like a PP, I was surprised at how professional Christ Rock was in his response. I've never liked him but if he'd pushed or hit back, it would have escalated.
Will Smith should make a proper apology as he checks into a rehab facility. I don't think he should have stayed at the ceremony or partied afterwards.

WS speech about how ‘ love makes you do crazy things’ just screams abusive twat making excuses for his behaviour. ‘I hurt you because I love you’.

I think Americans need to stop this so called "roasting".They are shit at it. It looked like he was dying on his arse. Smiths actions were extraordinary but I kinda don't blame him. Taking the piss out of his wife's alopecia was pretty low.

There's a lot of ways Will Smith could have handled that better, but it's taken me two hours to think of all the better options so I understand by he chose that one in about 5 seconds"

I don't buy that. I think you're either a person who will respond to words with physical violence or you're not. He's just shown which he is.

The whole thing shows (if it didn't already) how massively out of touch Hollywood is with the real world. A 'joke' about a medically caused condition to a woman's appearance by a man, and a physically violent reaction by another man. There is nothing remotely funny or right or justified in any of it.

Fucking shambles the whole thing.

I'm kind of wondering whether it was a staged occurrence; Will slapped/smacked Chris' face; guys ordinarily punch, not slap.

Seems it was all real and not staged. The Oscar committee have said they don't condone violence in response and Chris rock decline to file a police report.

Will Smith could have come to the podium and as part of his speech made a powerful comment that jokes about his wife's health were deplorable and in bad taste and he hopes Chris rock would have realised that. That would have conveyed the message and not shown this very ugly side to him.

Punching someone is never ever ok. Certainly not over a crass joke. Quite frankly he's lucky Chris Rock didn't strike back and make it a public punch up.

Me thinks will smith is overcompensating for all the shit his marriage has got in the media after her affairs were disclosed that then became an open marriage.

And Will laughed at the joke himself!!!

Neither of the above. WS looked totally batshit and Jada must have been fuming. CR told a crap joke and a suitable response would have been a dignified comment during the acceptance speech that got everyone on their side. Instead, another reminder of how men prefer using their fists to their brains. As if we didn't have enough of that shit right now.

Will should have just given that rant he gave from his chair. That would've sufficed and wiped the smile of Rock's face.
But going on stage and hitting him! That was below the belt and I like Will less because of it. (I was never a fan of CR).
There's also the fact that young people look up to Will and now I'm sure some of them will feel like if somebody offends them, just to go up and hit them is acceptable.

Will Smith should have been removed the minute this happened. He should not have been able to remain and then collect his award.

The guy is rumoured to have a neurodevelopmental disorder which results in lack of self control if not medicated. Whether it was right or wrong, I'd guess this played a part in what happened.

@HesterShaw1 I think you've missed the point in the post. Will was trying to look the big man only AFTER he had initially laughed! he probably thought there would be trouble at home (for him laughing) so he though he better do something. He should never have hit Chris regardless.