Hollywood is reacting like this over will smith’s oscars night.
In a moment that will forever define the 2022 Academy Awards, Will Smith walked onstage after Chris Rock improvised a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith and smacked him in the face.
B!tch don’t you ever play with me. LOL • https://t.co/jnbpt4Vpb3 pic.twitter.com/Klb3GEIL3d
— 50cent (@50cent) March 28, 2022
While the joke — which poked fun at Jada’s shaved head, after the actress has been vocal about her alopecia diagnosis since 2018
— was in bad taste, fans and attendees at the show alike were absolutely stunned at the hit, which at first seemed improvised, but turned out to be a real-life emotional outburst from Smith.
Let me tell you something, it’s a very bad practice to walk up on stage and physically assault a Comedian.
Now we all have to worry about who wants to be the next Will Smith in comedy clubs and theaters.— Kathy Griffin (@kathygriffin) March 28, 2022
Further complicating the evening was that Smith won the Oscar for best actor less than an hour later for his work on “King Richard,” and spent much of his speech tearfully justifying his actions to his peers and saying sorry.
“I want to apologize to the Academy. I want to apologize to all my fellow nominees. This is a beautiful moment and I’m not crying for winning an award.
So disappointing that Will Smith played Muhammad Ali but he couldn’t even knock out Chris Rock.
— Michael Ian Black (@michaelianblack) March 28, 2022
It’s not about winning an award for me. It’s about being able to shine a light on all of the people,” he said. Smith ended his speech by saying, “I hope the Academy invites me back.”
Needless to say, the outburst drew a flood of reaction on Twitter, from jokes and memes to more somber reminders from the Hollywood community that people shouldn’t assault comedians just because their material doesn’t work.
Just saw the Will Smith slap. Anyone have a late night show I can borrow just for tomorrow?
— Conan O’Brien (@ConanOBrien) March 28, 2022
Check out the most notable reactions below, including exclusive celebrity interviews Variety conducted at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party, and viral posts from a shocking evening.
Michaela Jaé Rodriguez reacts to Will Smith hitting Chris Rock at Oscars: “Sometimes human emotions happen. Sometimes human interactions happen. We can’t judge people based on their moments” https://t.co/tGxomF4J6v pic.twitter.com/byE0y4cwYM
— Variety (@Variety) March 28, 2022
source-variety.com