Posted on 03/28/2022 8:52:58 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
The smack heard ’round the world will not result in any charges — for now. According to NBC News, comedian Chris Rock declined to press charges against Will Smith after the Oscar-winning actor stormed the stage at the 2022 Academy Awards Sunday (March 27) and smacked Rock across the face with an open hand following a joke about Smith’s wife, actress Jada Pinkett Smith.
“LAPD investigative entities are aware of an incident between two individuals during the Academy Awards program,” the department said in a statement, NBC reported. “The incident involved one individual slapping another. The individual involved has declined to file a police report. If the involved party desires a police report at a later date, LAPD will be available to complete an investigative report.”
NBC News reported that spokespeople for Rock did not return requests for comment, and that senior sources at the LAPD said officers typically don’t take action in this kind of suspected misdemeanor battery investigation unless the victim wants to press charges or help fill out an incident report. Presenting the award for best documentary feature, Rock took the stage with some playful jabs at celebs in the audience. After making jokes about Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz and Denzel Washington, Rock said, “Jada, I love you, G.I Jane 2, can’t wait to see it,” seemingly referring to the actress’s bald head. Pinkett Smith previously opened up about living with alopecia — an autoimmune disorder that causes hair loss — in 2018, and more recently in a December Instagram video.
Though Will Smith seemed to laugh at first, the actress frowned and did not seem amused. The actor then jumped up from his seat soon after and walked onto the stage in what seemed at first to be a planned comedic bit. But after Smith appeared to angrily slap Rock in the face, the stunned-looking comedian stammered a bit, then remarked, “Will Smith just smacked the s–t out of me,” which was followed by a long silence on the live broadcast in which the actor repeatedly demanded that the comedian “keep my wife’s name out of your f—ing mouth.” Unedited international broadcasts of the incident provided the heated audio in full.
A short time after the incident that became an instantly viral moment, eliciting wildly ranging responses from comedians, fellow actors and the Smith’s son, Jaden (who tweeted “And That’s How We Do It”), Will Smith took the stage to accept the best actor award for his portrayal of Venus and Serena Williams’ father, Richard Williams, in King Richard. In the tearful speech, Smith referred to the often-controversial Williams patriarch as a “fierce defender of his family,” and went on to apologize to the Academy and his fellow nominees, but not to Chris Rock.
It was not the first time that Rock and Jada Pinkett Smith have clashed over his comments at the Oscars. When Rock hosted in 2016 and Pinkett Smith was boycotting the event over the “Oscars So White” controversy, Rock joked at the event, “Jada boycotting the Oscars is like me boycotting Rihanna’s panties. I wasn’t invited.” She later responded, “Hey, look, it comes with the territory. We gotta keep it moving.”
These nuckle draggers have turned every institution into a chit show.
This is not left vs. right, Hollywood vs. flyover or whatever. This was man vs. thug. If some lame-ass comedian makes a joke about my wife’s physical appearance in a public forum such as that to get some cheap laughs, he’s getting my full-on attention right across his jaw. Good for Will Smith.
This will not endear me to others ...
I loathe the Oscars but very much like both Chris Rock and Will Smith.
On the former, these presenters at the same time deify the nominees when all they should be doing is celebrating their work. At the same time, they rapid-fire disgusting and humiliating insults, including Amy Schumer for example body-shaming Jennifer Garner. None of this makes sense or is funny, clever, celebratory, etc. It’s just one big, incoherent mess.
Chris Rock had a HORRIBLE lapse in judgment. It came after dozens and dozens of other horrible lapses by other presenters, but this is no excuse. Will Smith’s wife has a disability on full public display and CR wants to make fun of it? What the heck? Chris Rock, a generally very funny and likable, clever guy, made a horribly bad call.
Will Smith did what needed to be done, and not just to Chris Rock. The entire premise of the Oscars’ deification/ humiliation is just so so so so so so wrong and bad. Will Smith is the only bad *ss in the entire house who could pull that off and in general it so very much needed to be done to ten or more other presenters, as well, for their offensive BS. Smith slapped Rock, no punch. He went on barely 15 minutes later to win the biggest deal Oscar. He got up and expressed his profound regret to the audiences watching and to the Academy but not Rock.
This was so perfect that it must have been 100% staged. No doubt. Except that I am 100% fooled. I think it was 100% real. And while I do not condone violence, a slap was called for and well-delivered and Chris Rock is a guy who can take it and get right on with things. And he did just that.
The world moves on. Presenters next year will be modestly more inclined not to cross a line. They will continue to not be funny or clever. The product will slip further. The ratings will drop yet again.
Justice is done. There is only one moment in which that show last night measured up to what it should have been, and that was it.
Who cares. Really, who cares. The country is swirling the toilet bowl and people are concerned about egocentric idiots who make a living being part of “lets create a fantasy” industry. Really?
I don’t think Chris Rock is a good enough actor to pull that off. Will might have mouthed to him that he was going to slap him as he walked up or something. IF it was staged, I think only Will Smith was in on it. If it wasn’t staged, Jada made him do it.
“It was not the first time that Rock and Jada Pinkett Smith have clashed over his comments at the Oscars. When Rock hosted in 2016 and Pinkett Smith was boycotting the event over the “Oscars So White” controversy, Rock joked at the event, “Jada boycotting the Oscars is like me boycotting Rihanna’s panties. I wasn’t invited.”
And that’s why I think Rock is a funny guy.
Ghetto Oscars. I’d love to see the racial breakdown of those who watch this sh**-show this year.
Staged. Totally staged.
Rock declines to press charges because the entire incident was a FAKE perpetrated by professional fakers.
All fake meatball. All fake.
~Thunderlips
Instead, leftists being leftists, he will press charges against TRUMP!!!!
first time i’ve watched it- Rock took that slap like a champ.
If my husband was going to defend my honor i’d like to see him punch the guy out- not some silly slap like my 84 year old sister hands out all the time.
it wasn’t vicious it was a joke.
Jada’s gonna be just fine, bald head and all.
they do what they claim Trump did. again....
You touch me and you'll get shot.
Faked. No contact made.
He probably has a date with Jada later.
That was real.
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