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.

It was a pre depressing encounter for both. I really dislike this trend of making horrible jokes at others expense. It always goes too far and this is the result. Oscars should be a classy affair not on stage punching

Violence is never okay. Never.

And I love Will Smith and cannot stand Chris Rock.

Jada looks fucking fabulous, as an aside.

I don't understand the GI Jane joke

The verbal abuse is just as bad as the physical in this case. Calling something a joke doesn't make it so and what Rock said about Jada was as vile as the punch from Smith. And for everyone to sit their laughing at Rock making fun of her for a medical condition, not on at all and they should all be ashamed of themselves

‘ I don't understand the GI Jane joke’

It’s a movie with Demi Moore where she famously shaved her head for the role.
Nada has a shaved head because she has alopecia. She’s talked publicly about who awful she’s has found that.
That’s why it was such a shit joke.

@NutellaEllaElla It's a film featuring Demi Moore in which the lead actress has a buzz cut. Jada is currently bald (probably not by choice) due to her alopecia. Hence the "GI Jane 2" comment. Calling it a joke is probably scraping the barrel though...

Jada not Nada

@NutellaEllaElla

I don't understand the GI Jane joke

GI Jane famously had a shaved head. Jada Pinkett Smith is suffering from alopecia, and so has a shaved head. He's implying that she'll be playing the part due to her alopecia.

I think Will laughing initially is a normal reaction, as a protective measure not to initially seem affected by it, in front of an audience of millions.

But then he glanced at his wife and saw she was sad, then obviously his emotions got the better of him and he reacted.

Violence is not ok. But it was a mean joke. Giving Chris the benefit of doubt though, he may not have realised her hairstyle was a medical situation and not just a fashion choice.

Has Chris Rock apologised to Jada?

Was it a low blow, and is Chris Rock an absolute tool for saying that? Yup.
Was Will Smith an absolute tool for using violence in a situation that absolutely did not need violence? Yup.

I'm always baffled as to how some of these cheap jokes get any laughs at all from the audience at events like these. I guess it's to do with being "in the moment" and often just laughing along without realising in time what some of the jokes actually mean?

Idiots. All of them.

I can’t believe anyone thinks will smith’s actions were acceptable.

Shit, unpleasant joke - would just reflect poorly on Chris rock. But will smith marching on stage and hitting him is just dreadful.

Smith should have been asked to leave. Regardless how Big and Important he is.

Lots of talk about the support for Will Smith after and the Academy are kind of supporting Chris rock by saying they don’t condone violence.

Nothing coming out about Jada. Nothing from the Academy about doing better in getting ‘jokes’ to make sure they are not in poor taste. No apology from Chris Rock. No thank you to my amazing wife in the speech from Will Smith.

They all make me sick

@Jaggerdagger

I'm always baffled as to how some of these cheap jokes get any laughs at all from the audience at events like these. I guess it's to do with being "in the moment" and often just laughing along without realising in time what some of the jokes actually mean?

There are a lot of actors in the audience. They’re playing the role of ‘good audience’ to imply the show isn’t drivel.

If my DS did that in school he’d be excluded, possibly expelled.
Yet here we are debating whether or not a grown man was justified in hitting someone because he didn’t like something he said.

Will was waaaaayyy out of line. By all means stand up for your wife being the butt of a shit joke but letting your anger and rage take over so much as to go up and slap someone like that is not on. Makes me see him in a whole new light. Morto for him.

I reckon Will Smith was “tired and emotional”. Who goes and slaps someone on live tv, one of the biggest broadcasts of the year of you’re stone cold sober?

I think violence is never okay. Rocks joke was about as funny as a fart in a spacesuit and Jada Pinkett Smith was visibly upset.

Taking the piss out of someone's medical condition is a low blow.

Neither things should have happened.

I’m more surprised ppl still watch it. Just a load of old wokery.

If someone publicly took the piss out of my sick wife I’d probably thump them one.

Violence isn’t ok, but you can’t go around insulting people about things that may be very close to their nerves and not expect a consequence

I think Will Smith looked like he had been taking coke

I can understand why Jada Smith was upset you can see she took offence which Chris Rock quickly back tracked on

Chris Rock will make jokes like this it’s a joke they put themselves up for ridicule with being so open about their lives. Did he know about her having alopecia I don’t know

All it will do unfortunately is add fuel for racists that’s the biggest issue not the so called fued

Don’t go to the Oscars which is a massively self indulgent show of back slapping and lack of awareness, knowing that cheap shots are taken by the host, and then react with violence. No one made J and W go, they seem to have a stupid relationship anyway so good knows what state either are in. c should be pressing charges and in normal life he would.

Option 3.

The joke wasn’t funny, and somebody involved must have been aware of JPS’s distress at her alopecia, given that she has discussed it publicly on multiple occasions.

Will Smith should not have reacted violently.