Will and the original Aunt Viv had a sit down and ended their feud. It sounded like Aunt Viv was going through a tough time, was pregnant and was pretty miserable. While Will did not have the power to get her fired, he apparently called her difficult to work with. The contract she was offered was bad. She explained how being called “difficult” torpedoed her career. Will explained that at 21 he didn’t get as he would now.
From all accounts, Will is a nice guy. I don’t pretend to know him, but that is his reputation these days.
He will not be going to jail as it doesn’t seem like Chris was really hurt and is not pressing charges. As a first time offender, he would have likely done pre-trial intervention with anger management and not have gone to jail in any event. He should have been removed from the theater and given his Oscar offstage. Bad move on the Academy’s part to not do anything in the moment.
Ok, but why would that make it okay for JADA SMITH to be targeted rather than Will Smith himself?
I don’t understand the logic that if he has in the past made comments about others’ medical conditions that it means that his wife or kids are fair game.
Wrong is wrong, and in my opinion, Chris Rock was wrong. Will Smith was also wrong-completely wrong- to address it with violence, full stop.
Will laughed at the joke initially. You can see that. His wife did not. Presumably he looked over and saw her reaction (off camera so we cannot see) and then decided to take the stage.
Almost has a WWE feel to it.
There are often comedians as hosts of the awards shows. People should expect some poking fun at celebs. Chris says he didn’t know about Jada’s medical condition. Comedians run the risk of not knowing when they tell a joke about someone. They often push it. Had Will simply done nothing other than mentioning something about Jada in his acceptance speech, egg would have been more on Chris’ face and nothing negative about Will.
Even the LA Times came out today saying that Will Smith should not be invited back to next year’s Oscars to present the Best Actress award (as is the usual custom).
He could have made a powerful statement about having compassion for people with medical issues. He could have brought attention to a problem that is absolutely devastating to people when it happens. Instead, he made a total ass of himself and took attention away from all the other deserving artists.
Behaviors would also be off limits because they most likely stem from a condition-alcoholism, mental illness, bad childhood, momentary lapse of judgement, Autism, stress, anxiety, etc.
I think we both agree that the slap was not a good response. Good discussion. It is a nice opportunity for the world to reflect on comments we make-especially about other people and how it could affect them.
IMO, Will Smith will not be presenting next year’s Best Actress; the nominees would lead the public outcry against it. And there is now precedent for not having the “usual” presenter.
Whether he will present anything or even be invited is another question.
As I think I already wrote once before, you can’t judge people’s reactions to something shocking. I have had totally inappropriate reactions in similar situations, because I was in shock and didn’t know how to respond.
The whole thing was trashy and stupid. Belonged on WWE wrestling or an episode of “Real Housewives of ___” or, better yet, one of those dumb videos on Youtube of idiots having a street fight in the middle of the night right outside a night club.
Nonsense like this is why nobody watches the Academy Awards anymore.
Chris Rock handled the situation way better than Will Smith did.
The whole thing was a foolish demonstration of machismo culture at its finest.