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.

The whole thing was awful to watch I don't even know where to start. It was a shit joke and a bizarre over reaction from WS. Just weird.

I don't know what's going on with Will Smith recently. I used to love him. He made great films and he was always so lovely in interviews. But ever since his wife decided to bump her career by discussing their private life and their sex life on Red Table Talk, I think the man has become a shell of himself. He's gone from being one of my favourite people to a WTF?! person.
I never knew anything about Java Pinkett Smith and what I know about her now, I don't like. But the woman has not shaved her hair for fun. She has alopecia which is devastating. Chris Rock should not have said anything but it wasn't anything awful. Just that she looked I've a GI. Will Smith assaulted him and then later cried about it. I think there's something seriously wrong going on with him.

Agree with speckledhen too. It’s wrong to hit someone but if you continually take lazy cheap shots at other peoples medical conditions for a laugh well getting slapped is a risk you take rather isn’t it?

Hope it will prompt these lazy hosts to not use insulting guests as their material.

Chris Rock was doing his job as the host.
Will Smith physically assaulted another man for doing his job.
I think he just saw an opportunity to attempt to restate his masculinity after years of "your wife has sex with other men" jokes.

Is his job really to take the piss out of peoples medical conditions?

Will smith lost the moral high ground by responding with violence rather than just words but I don’t think the initial comment is defendable at all

The culture of the host making offensive jokes about people during the ceremony doesn't make sense to me. They are there to celebrate the industry and the people in it with these awards, so why do they have to sit through this snide, bitchy bullying throughout? It's mean and stupid and unpleasant. Maybe this will bring about a re-think - perhaps it would be better if they had a host with a bit of class and decorum whose jokes were not at other people's expense. I would have put money on Ricky Gervais being the first one to get lamped to be honest, some of the stuff he's come out with is wince inducing and he comes across as though he has total contempt for Hollywood - if he does fair enough but then why is he there? It just seems an odd combo - come and get your award for being exceptional at what you but sit through a load of abusive jokes while you're at it. Bizarre.

@ToiletPoster he wasnt the host. Regina King Amy Schumer and Wanda Skyes hosted it.

Chris Rock was presenting an award - best documentary I think.

@Sirzy
When you get a comedia to host a celebrity award show, yes, roast jokes are 100% a part of the job. Even if you don't agree in principle, that is absolutely the case by convention.
Alopecia is baldness. I don't think making fun of people for losing hair has ever been considered off limits. Some causes may be arguable (such as chemotherapy), but this is not what we're talking about.

The world is looking at USA - how many millions saw this behaviour? Gentlemen please...

@JauntyJinty

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

Excellent!

The joke wasn't good even as an american roasting type thing, it was just a shit joke. But violence is never the answer. Will Smith and his wife have a high enough gobal standing to put Chris Rock down in many many other ways. They have all come out of this looking like rich, privileged cunts IMO

I think that Chris is a bully and the joke was horrible and unacceptable.

However, I cannot understand why Will has not been arrested for assault. What is it about him that makes this not a crime? His fame or money? Can I smack someone round the face if they are nasty and rude to me?

Just spoken about this on Radio 4 and commentator said that Will Smith spoke in his autobiography about not being able to protect his mother from his father as a child, and the happy persona he invented in his character was to cover the rage and pain he felt about that.
So the commentator believes that that childhood experience and trauma is what was triggered at that event at the Oscars.

My take is will Smith wasn't bothered by the joke which is why you see him laughing along but as soon as he sees his wife is upset/offended he reacts like "a big man" goes up and bitch slaps CR. He looked so emotional doing it and afterwards when he's shouting to CR. I dunno I echo others posters in that it feels like he is not composed at all and I wonder if there's other stuff going on for him and this is why he reacted so badly. Not excusing him of course I think he was completely wrong for doing it. But I think because he's done it it has tarnished what should of been an amazing moment and memory for him. Which in a way is karma for being such a silly wanker lol

Anyone seen the nutty professor? Jade was in it and is with Eddie Murphy's character gets 'roasted' in a similar scenario?

Hopefully it wasn't just me that thought of this!?!

Alopecia is baldness. I don't think making fun of people for losing hair has ever been considered off limits. Some causes may be arguable (such as chemotherapy), but this is not what we're talking about. I don't really agree with this, a friend suffered so I know that alopecia can often be caused by stress (or other illness). It can cause severe social anxiety and agoraphobia, which can spiral into debt issues and suicidal thoughts.
Anyway, comedians should be over commenting on womens bodies and appearances now.

Anyone seen the nutty professor? Jade was in it and is with Eddie Murphy's character gets 'roasted' in a similar scenario? I remember! Eddie Murphy's character dropped the comedian in a later scene!

Chris Rock making personal comments about ANYONE, let alone someone who was there as a supporting partner, not an Oscar contender was a dick move however, that’s what you should expect from him. *Rabidly not a fan of this style of “humour”.
Will Smith laughed at the joke THEN saw his wife’s reaction, and then acted out. Utter wankery. He should have asked Chris Rock to ask Jada how she felt about that joke, and to make him grovel for forgiveness. Going in with swinging fists and threatening language was absolutely out of line. Obviously Scientology’s not paying off. Shouldn’t he have “Superior Control” over his feelings and actions? He’s pretty high up the food chain.

Anyway, comedians should be over commenting on womens bodies and appearances now.

I would change that to be ANYBODY's appearance.

I’ve been to a Jimmy Carr show where he took the piss out of disabled people. I’ve got a disabled daughter. If I got up and whacked him one, would the comedy club let me enjoy the rest of the show or would I be escorted out by security? This shouldn’t even be up for debate and I’m amazed that a few are even defending WS.

If Will Smith can't control his temper to the point that he will get out of his seat and slap and swear at a full grown man in one of the most public world events, it makes me wonder what he's like in private.
Chris Rock might be a dick but Will Smith is a violent dick and that was straight up assault. I'm horrified by the people excusing his behaviour.

^^ horrible film though, the Nutty Professor; looking back most of Eddie Murphy's films were questionable.

I think there's a lot worse things people can do than slap someone. Such as bully people for a health condition on stage in front of millions of people. I don't think Will Smith has covered himself in glory here. But what Chris Rock did is far worse.

And extreme situations do bring out extreme behaviour. This is not like some bloke down the pub insulting your spouse, where you might just be expected to say, ' You are a wanker mate' and leave. This is someone who is your peer, getting all your peers to laugh, in front of a world audience of millions, at a condition that causes you partner distress, at an event - hyper focussed on physical perfection - which must exacerbate feelings of your partner around that condition.

You are making excuses for this inexcusable behaviour. Would you be so quick to defend him if he’d assaulted a woman in the same ‘extreme situation’?

Violence is not an acceptable reaction.

I do understand that he felt pressured to respond to his wife’s upset in front of an international audience and a recording that was going to be preserved forever. There were better options, they just might not have gotten as much attention as quickly.