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

803 replies

Jaggerdagger · 28/03/2022 07:28

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.

OP posts:
EmeraldShamrock1 · 28/03/2022 18:17

CK needs to apologise to Jada.

NurseBernard · 28/03/2022 18:21

@Carpedimum

There’s something about this whole incident that reeks of elaborate stunt to raise the profile of all involved. CR didn’t carry it as well as he could, you’d be more outraged than that surely? Then Will’s speech was so measured, despite the tears, and the support from Denzel, the reference to Mr W. I’m not buying a second of it.
Will Smith has been famous for decades and is an Oscar winner.

How can he possibly need his profile raised?

He’s a household name.

ohfourfoxache · 28/03/2022 18:24

Neither of them covered themselves in glory

However, Rock was an absolute cunt. Did it warrant violence? No. But he was a cunt nonetheless

ididntevennotice · 28/03/2022 18:27

@Carpedimum

There’s something about this whole incident that reeks of elaborate stunt to raise the profile of all involved. CR didn’t carry it as well as he could, you’d be more outraged than that surely? Then Will’s speech was so measured, despite the tears, and the support from Denzel, the reference to Mr W. I’m not buying a second of it.

Raise their profiles Hmm

Chonfox · 28/03/2022 18:30

The "joke" was very nasty but mild compared to some of the "roastings" that go on at these things. The reaction was in no way justified. One stupid move has tainted his image forever more. Idiotic.

LifeIsALemon · 28/03/2022 18:32

Will Smith is an absolute asshole. He laughed at first then when he realized Jada wasn't impressed he flipped in a second. He's old enough to be able to control his temper and to know that his behaviour was ridiculous and unacceptable. His pride was injured because he didn't want to look bad for laughing while she rolled her eyes at them both. Now he's fucked everything.

The joke was badly received and would have been quickly forgotten or Chris Rock would have been the one who looked like the dick. Now it will be immortalised in that clip as people want know the joke that prompted his response. She'll be asked about it for years to come (as will he)

Smith also won his first Oscar but now searching for Will Smith Oscar is always going to show him slapping Chris Rock. He spent his speech grovelling, yet no apology to Rock. Also his "love makes you do crazy things" stance is a textbook abusive husband line. Not exactly a great look.

The joke was in poor taste but Smiths behaviour was much worse. The academy won't give a shit though. If they did he wouldn't have been allowed to just sit back down, receive this award and party the night away.

Unsurprising since the Academy gave an Oscar to Roman Polanski who was convicted of the rape of a 13 year old when he was 43. This was back in the late 70s. He fled the US when prison looked likely and has never returned. The scumbag has since been given noms and honours for his movies (he won an Oscar in 2003) rather than being forced into obscurity or better still jail where he belongs.

BeHappy91818 · 28/03/2022 18:40

@Carpedimum

There’s something about this whole incident that reeks of elaborate stunt to raise the profile of all involved. CR didn’t carry it as well as he could, you’d be more outraged than that surely? Then Will’s speech was so measured, despite the tears, and the support from Denzel, the reference to Mr W. I’m not buying a second of it.
Really …Will smith is already a household name. Everyone knows who he is.
Stanleystuck · 28/03/2022 18:48

Just watched it on the news..it's shocking. Will Smith handled it so badly. He ruined his own big night..but what's with all the nastiness? Why is the host making those awful jokes? They showed clips of Rebel Wilson being horrible when she was hosting another awards ceremony too. I don't get the culture at all.

MarshaBradyo · 28/03/2022 18:49

@Stanleystuck

Just watched it on the news..it's shocking. Will Smith handled it so badly. He ruined his own big night..but what's with all the nastiness? Why is the host making those awful jokes? They showed clips of Rebel Wilson being horrible when she was hosting another awards ceremony too. I don't get the culture at all.
Wonder if they’ll rethink this

I find it tired format and unfunny but maybe for a different audience

EmeraldShamrock1 · 28/03/2022 18:57

I think the writer's expected a negative reaction, probably not the slap.

There was trouble between them before, the comment was going to cause upset.

StormzyinaTCup · 28/03/2022 19:02

By all accounts the 'joke' wasn't in the Oscar's rehearsal so he either deliberately kept it back during rehearsals or added it in on the hoof (why even go there?). I think, to coin a MN phrase, he was being a Goady F*er.

watchthis · 28/03/2022 19:14

Meh. I know everyone says no excuse for violence, but I think sometimes there is 🤷‍♀️ he wanted to say something like that and he got a (well deserved in my opinion) slap. Chris barely looked phased to begin with, from what I could see his demeanour changed when will shouted at him, think that's when he knew he meant business

Carpy899 · 28/03/2022 19:16

I thought the joke was funny but I didn't know she had alopecia until i saw it all this morning. Did Chris Rock know?

EmeraldShamrock1 · 28/03/2022 19:25
CK 2016 taking shots at JS.
Sunnytwobridges · 28/03/2022 19:28

I think Chris Rock has needed to be slapped for a while but it shouldn't have been done at that time maybe after the awads Grin

TankFlyBossW4lk · 28/03/2022 19:33

I'm shocked at Will's behaviour. He was laughing before he realised his wife wasn't. He could have controlled himself. Hollow, self pitying apology afterwards too, imho.

stormswiftlysweetafton · 28/03/2022 19:34

It's low humour to make an unprovoked joke about someone's appearance, but obviously you can't just go around slapping people with no warning.

I'd have a different opinion if this had happened in the real world (not during a public, televised event honouring Hollyweird actors), CR had made a joke about WS's wife, WS had verbally confronted him and CR wouldn't back down or made more insulting remarks. Under those circumstances, I'd be more understanding WS giving CR a slap, but as it is, it was a huge over-reaction to the situation, not to mention extremely ill-timed.

Awalkintime · 28/03/2022 19:36

If my husband did this to someone who insulted me I would divorce him. If he can do this on the world stage, then what could he do to me behind closed doors? He is a violent man.

EmeraldShamrock1 · 28/03/2022 19:45

Ricky Gervais tweeted a sketch from the office where he made a joke about alopecia and an unhappy home.

Not good.

youvegottenminuteslynn · 28/03/2022 19:46

@sst1234

So one actor ‘assaults’ another at the Oscars (movie awards), on stage. And it’s not staged? People will believe anything. Ever heard ‘no publicity is bad publicity’?
Those of us who work in PR professionally know that phrase (or the old "any publicity is good publicity") is outdated rubbish.

Because it's simply not true.

Not a chance that the teams around Smith and Rock would have agreed to something like this.

It makes zero sense when it comes to publicity / PR for their individual personal brands. None at all.

This wasn't staged.

youvegottenminuteslynn · 28/03/2022 19:57

@Carpedimum

There’s something about this whole incident that reeks of elaborate stunt to raise the profile of all involved.

You do know who he is yes? Will Smith is worth $350m+ and is a household name. He doesn't need to raise his profile. At all.

He has been very well thought of by the public for decades. Popular and people of various age groups all fond of him. Which is why it's even more disappointing (and also monumentally stupid of him) to behave so disgustingly. Because it seems out of character but then is a reminder that we don't know the real character of celebrities of course.

He will probably be keeping a low profile for a while if his management and publicist can persuade him that they need to put out a 'personal issues / deep regret' type statement and go to a facility for 'exhaustion' for a few weeks.

But after seeing him partying last night I think his team are going to have a hard time persuading him to (appear to) take accountability in any way. After his crying speech, he seemed to perk right up didn't he.

Such a shame, the whole thing. To tarnish what should have been the greatest moment of his entire career to date by assaulting someone live on TV. Unreal.

Carpedimum · 28/03/2022 20:16

Yes of course I know who Will Smith is @youvegottenminuteslynn - you’ve misunderstood what I meant, my bad I wasn’t clear… I don’t think this incident is about what it seems on the surface, there’s a bigger agenda here. It’s all too well choreographed - if I’ve ever witnessed anyone lose their temper, it doesn’t play out like that, nor does the ‘victim’ just let it go. Who wouldn’t immediately call Security?! Why didn’t the Producers send in Security? Then we have Jayden’s tweet, the family unity, after party dancing etc. Jada’s grace under fire, after all it was her that was so disgustingly humiliated. Happy to be wrong, but it all seems contrived to me.

Toocooltoboogie · 28/03/2022 20:31

My DD occasional gets 'jokes' made about her heath condition. Although I would very dearly like to I would never ever resort to physical violence. What kind of example would that be to my children.
His ego is huge - what a knob. The Oscars look like a bunch of fools to let him get away with it and just carry on. Hollywood is always happy to turn a blind eye depending on who it is.

Nothappyatwork · 28/03/2022 20:34

I just read a post on Facebook from a friend who is a policeman’s wife about how Will Smith doesn’t deserve to be lambasted for a momentary loss of control. I haven’t responded, liked, commented, whatever you wanna call it but I’m genuinely quite horrified that family‘s perspective on the matter.

Chonfox · 28/03/2022 20:34

If my husband did this to someone who insulted me I would divorce him. If he can do this on the world stage, then what could he do to me behind closed doors? He is a violent man.

Not necessarily. There's often an "honour code" with these types of macho men. One tenant being "never lay a hand on a woman" but goady males are fair game!