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Will Smith apologizes yet again for Oscars slap

Again, here we go! Last week, Will Smith made the decision to come out again and gave a 10 minute explanation of the notorious slap at the Academy Awards that was heard all over the world. To put this in context, let me explain. The smack ought never to have occurred. Period! 

For your reference here is a brief recap. The winners of the greatest films released between March 1 and December 31, 2021 were recognized at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on March 27, 2022, during the 94th Academy  Awards ceremony, which was presented by the (AMPAS). 

Regina Hall, Amy Schumer, and Wanda Sykes presided over the event. Since the 83rd Academy Awards in 2011, this was the first ceremony to have several hosts. These are established facts. On the largest night in the movie business, movie elites and nominees gathered to be recognized for their efforts in the hopes of winning the most coveted Oscar prize with their colleagues looking on!

 It’s not simple to achieve success in the entertainment business. From my living room sofa, you could see the utter excitement and tension in the theatre on people’s faces as they awaited the announcement of the winners. Who knew an unwelcome, unscripted dramatic performance would play out in front of our very eyes?

Chris Rock holds a special place in my family’s heart. Comedy comes naturally to him. Who could ever forget Rock’s portrayal of the illustrious “Pookie” in New Jack City? Everybody Hates Chris, a family comedy loosely based on the life of Hard Rock, was a must-see for lots of families throughout its primetime run. How soon Will Smith became well-known was impressive. He rapped his way out of Philly with sidekick Jazzy Jeff with classic hits, Summertime & Parents Just Don’t Understand. He further advanced his career beyond rapping by securing a well-known role on “The Fresh Prince,” figuratively moving from a small to a giant screen. Despite the flops—or should I say, inferior films—that tanked at the box office, it was amazing to watch Smith’s star rise following Men In Black, Bad Boys, and Ali. Critics shunned films like Gemini, Collateral Beauty, and even the Disney remake of Aladdin!

Chris made a joke about Jada, Smith’s wife, saying, ” GI Jane 2, can’t wait to see it,” which caused Jada to frown, give Rock the side eye, and glare at Will who was laughing. After a brief pause, Will’s tone changed quickly as he yelled at Rock, “Keep my wife’s name out of your fucking mouth,” before walking up to the platform and punching Chris. Why the hell did security fail to stop this? Smith should have been restrained, but he wasn’t. He was wrong if he thought the move made him look like a tough guy. It gave him the illusion of being weak by attacking someone who was smaller than him. For instance, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is someone who he probably wouldn’t have done that to.

The viewers were affected psychologically by the slap. Was it prewritten? Chris’s shocked and embarrassed response unfortunately taught us right away that it wasn’t. Rock recently disclosed that he suffers from a non-verbal learning disability, which makes it challenging for him to interpret social signs. The Academy has since punished Smith for his wrongdoing. Jada laughed gleefully as the camera panned over her as her husband lost control while trying to defend her dignity. That kind of behavior is quite destructive. The alopecia Jada has wasn’t mentioned in the show. What would have happened if she had contacted her agent about a GI Jane 2 movie? The movie would have been amazing, in my opinion. Interpretation is the key to everything. Nevertheless, she made it about her insecurities.

Will says Chris doesn’t want to talk to him right now. I don’t blame him, though. He recently had a performance in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, in that I attended. He described the sensation of being slapped in the face. He said that he was still “processing” everything. Will must confront the toxic relationship in his marriage that burst into flames on the most significant night of his life and determine whether or not coping with it is even worthwhile.

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The Slap Heard Around The World At The 2022 Oscars

By now, you’ve either seen it first hand, or heard about best actor nominee, Will Smith, getting up and clocking Chris Rock in his face in response to a G.I. Jane joke in reference to his wife Jada’s short hair cut. I actually watched it during the live presentation where the camera panned to Jada and her husband who were seated near the front of the stage. Jada flinched in response to the joke, rolled her eyes, and gave Chris Rock the side-eye. Will proceeded to yell out, “Keep my wife’s name out ya fuckin’ mouth!” He was kind enough to repeat this several times as he bolted from his seat and marched up to the stage and slapped the hell out of the comedian. It was hard to believe what I was seeing and very uncomfortable to watch.

Will stunned a visibly shaken Chris Rock. He also shocked viewers, members of the academy & peers who literally sat on the edge of their seats aghast at what they just witnessed. Nicole Kidman, Penelope Cruz & other attendees jaw dropped in disbelief wondering if this was scripted or not. Viewers pondered the same thing I found as Twitter blew up. Denzel Washington & Tyler Perry pulled Will aside during the intermission to calm him down. Smith ended up winning the coveted Oscar award for King Williams, for his portrayal of tennis legends ‘Venus and Serena Williams father, Richard Williams. Smith received a standing ovation, ironically enough.

In one of the most off the cuff, rambling acceptance speeches about “protection and respect,” Smith rambled on about wanting to “uplift his people” and “protecting” those close to him. Where was Chris Rock’s protection? This was workplace violence, pure and simple. Too bad Smith didn’t deem it necessary to apologize for his abhorrent behavior in that put a damper on the evening.

There are some people who immediately jumped to the defense of Will as his wife suffers from alopecia. I have got to admit, I was stunned to see the amount of Black people post that he was protecting his wife! Some even suggested that Rock wouldn’t have made the same joke to a white actress. I was really disappointed to read a tweet by Prentice Penny bringing up the Crown Act, a bill recently passed about Black hair styles being protected in the workplace as justification for Smith’s actions. Penny is one of my favorite co-creators from the former HBO hit show, Insecure.

Excuse me? Chris Rock was verbally and physically assaulted on national television because of a joke by one of his industry peers. Black people are sporadically acknowledged for their work and are vocal about the lack of diversity in the entertainment industry and I believe this could be a major setback for Black actors and actresses. I hope I’m proven wrong. Something tells me Jada and her handlers will get Rock to come onto her Red Table Talk show and discuss why Chris got clocked by her husband and to forgive & forget. I hope he turns them down if asked.