# So Will Smith punched Chris Rock at the Oscars last night **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** comedian-jokes, talk-variety-show\ **Created:** [March 28, 2022, 8:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-will-smith-punched-chris-rock-at-the-oscars-last-night/961826 "2022-03-28T08:32:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 33
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2022, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-will-smith-punched-chris-rock-at-the-oscars-last-night/961826/641 "2022-04-04T18:44:14Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > And reports have consistently been that the joke was ad libbed, not part of the prewritten set. This is new information to me, and while I haven’t seen anything saying Chris Rock confirmed this, backstage Oscars people who presumably had access to the script have confirmed it. Fair enough. As for why such an old reference, > [@Miller](#): > > Chris Rock is pushing 60. …that’s an excellent point. > [@mordecaiB](#): > > No kidding! I don’t think I’ve ever seem an off the cuff two sentence bit so overanalyzed. This is like the ultimate example of trying to explain a joke to somebody. In fairness, my ‘overanalysis’ is that he did a coherent, single bit with two punchlines that were related to each other, the second calling back to the first. A very common thing for comedians, especially Chris Rock. The apparent reality is that it was a complete non-sequitur that had nothing to do with what he had just been talking about. Completely out of the blue, and not particularly consistent with Rock’s style of comedy. Honestly I’m still not convinced. I think Rock actually was doing a callback, implying Jada was never going to get nominated at the same time as Will, but after the slap immediately went into self-preservation mode. I would very much love for Rock to go on Howard Stern and explain honestly whether or not he was indeed rehashing his previous joke at Jada’s expense. But after his last appearance, I’m not sure Howard will ever have him back. (He probably would now, though!) ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2022, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-will-smith-punched-chris-rock-at-the-oscars-last-night/961826/642 "2022-04-04T18:57:20Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > As for why such an old reference, 25 years isn’t that old. People still reference movies made before Chris Rock was born; you still hear references to The Wizard of Oz. A 25-year-old movie reference? That’s nothing; people still reference The Godfather, which was exactly as old a reference the year GI Jane came out as GI Jane is to us now. “Mrs. Robinson” is still used as a joking way to refer to an older woman coming on to a younger man, and that movie came out thirty years before GI Jane. “GI Jane” is basically THE movie about an attractive woman with a shaved head. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2022, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-will-smith-punched-chris-rock-at-the-oscars-last-night/961826/643 "2022-04-04T18:58:55Z")
Well, there’s also V for Vendetta. The problem is that GI Jane was a shitty movie compared to the other old movies you mentioned. I mean, come on, when was the last time GI Jane was in the same sentence as The Godfather and the Wizard of Oz? One of these things is not like the others… ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2022, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-will-smith-punched-chris-rock-at-the-oscars-last-night/961826/644 "2022-04-04T19:07:19Z")
The quality of the movie is 100% irrelevant in this context. The only thing that matters is it’s memorable for a single reason: Demi Moore’s shaved head. That is entirely it. There was zero ambiguity to what Rock meant, and he chose it _specifically because_ that’s literally the only thing anyone remembers from that movie. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2022, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-will-smith-punched-chris-rock-at-the-oscars-last-night/961826/645 "2022-04-04T19:27:37Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > > [@bump](#): > > > > Instead, now Smith looks like something of a lunatic, or like he can’t control himself, and Rock looks like more of a victim than anything els > > Saturday’s SNL pretty much went all in on the lunatic angle. I enjoyed the line that Smith’s actions set “a terrible precedent for having to defend your wife at awards shows.” Said by Scarlett Johansson’s husband. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2022, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-will-smith-punched-chris-rock-at-the-oscars-last-night/961826/646 "2022-04-04T19:40:26Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > he chose it _specifically because_ that’s literally the only thing anyone remembers from that movie. This is a good point. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2022, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-will-smith-punched-chris-rock-at-the-oscars-last-night/961826/647 "2022-04-04T19:55:19Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > The quality of the movie is 100% irrelevant in this context. The only thing that matters is it’s memorable for a single reason: Demi Moore’s shaved head. That is entirely it. There was zero ambiguity to what Rock meant, and he chose it _specifically because_ that’s literally the only thing anyone remembers from that movie. Yes. Absolutely. For the past 30 years, “woman with shaved head = GI Jane”. That is it. Just like for the past 50 years “white woman with cornrows = Bo Derek,” even though there have been a million other women with cornrows since then, and everybody forgets what movie it even was (it’s called _10_ and I had to look it up but I sure as hell knew about Bo Derek’s cornrows 25 years ago), or if somebody starts counting matchsticks they’re _Rainman_ although we all know more about autism and OCD now. It really was just a very boring offhand joke made for the most boring of audiences, for the collective consciousness of people who have heard of movies. There was nothing else there. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2022, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-will-smith-punched-chris-rock-at-the-oscars-last-night/961826/648 "2022-04-04T20:22:40Z")
10 is an excellent example (which of course I would have known immediately, being an early adolescent boy at the time) because it was also a shitty movie. Okay, that point is well made. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2022, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-will-smith-punched-chris-rock-at-the-oscars-last-night/961826/649 "2022-04-04T20:29:00Z")
Being too young for 10, my referent for it is being the go-to example for overly-indulgent slow-mo shots of an attractive woman running. Kind of like the name Gainax being known for far too much boob bouncing in anime, to the point it’s still known (at least among those old enough to have seen their stuff) as the Gainax Bounce. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2022, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-will-smith-punched-chris-rock-at-the-oscars-last-night/961826/650 "2022-04-04T20:35:43Z")
Just so I have it clear my head, what we’re saying is that the Javier Bardem part of the video was only included for… pacing? It doesn’t provide any context at all? It’s a completely different, unrelated thought altogether, that’s just part of the video because, again, timing? The video posted to YouTube if you Google it, I mean. Why is that completely unrelated preamble included? Why doesn’t it start with Chris Rock saying “Jada, I love you, GI Jane 2, can’t wait to see it.”? Just whoever posted the video didn’t realize it was unrelated? EDIT: Thought of an answer to my own question: To demonstrate it was completely out of context. In my defense, I’m very stoned right now. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2022, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-will-smith-punched-chris-rock-at-the-oscars-last-night/961826/651 "2022-04-04T20:41:54Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > In my defense, I’m very stoned right now. Dont tell Will Smith, he might slap you! ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2022, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-will-smith-punched-chris-rock-at-the-oscars-last-night/961826/652 "2022-04-04T20:43:21Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > There was zero ambiguity to what Rock meant, and he chose it _specifically because_ that’s literally the only thing anyone remembers from that movie. Yeah, I’m rethinking my earlier comment that he’d have gone with a different reference if he’d written the joke out ahead of time. The thing about this sort of joke is, you want an obscure reference, so that the audience will have both the “unexpected association” reaction, as well as the, “I’m part of the in group for getting that reference.” The problem is, the more obscure the reference, the fewer people will get the joke. _GI Jane_ is sort of a sweet spot for that, because it’s obscure (in the sense that the movie itself is largely forgotten) but also widely recognized, because of the enormous hype it got before fizzling. The “Wakanda Forever!” variant is slightly weaker, because it’s not nearly as obscure a reference, and because putting Jada Pinkett-Smith in the next _Black Panther_ movie is something that sounds very plausible. Telling her, "You’re going to be in _GI Jane 2_ is obviously a joke, because nobody’s going to make _GI Jane 2_. “You’re going to be in _Black Panther 2_” is something Marvel probably actually considered at some point. ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2022, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-will-smith-punched-chris-rock-at-the-oscars-last-night/961826/653 "2022-04-04T21:57:34Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > In my defense, I’m very stoned right now. Wanna’ split a pizza ? ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2022, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-will-smith-punched-chris-rock-at-the-oscars-last-night/961826/654 "2022-04-04T22:52:48Z")
I think we’ve slapped the shit out of that joke now. ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2022, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-will-smith-punched-chris-rock-at-the-oscars-last-night/961826/655 "2022-04-04T22:53:43Z")
Deeper analysis of the situation: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/drPbiL1OD7E/maxresdefault.jpg "Re edit") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drPbiL1OD7E) ---
**Author:** ![DKW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dkw/32/3118_2.png) [@DKW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DKW)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2022, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-will-smith-punched-chris-rock-at-the-oscars-last-night/961826/656 "2022-04-05T08:04:20Z")
We’re still talking about this? All right… I don’t think this is going to boost Chris Rock’s career as much as he’d like. That he stood there befuddled instead of firing an absolutely blistering “finish” doesn’t help, but mostly…“G.I. Jane”? That’s from **1997**. Not exactly winning over the power demographics there, bud. (Personally, I liked his schtick to some extent in the past, but it’s aged _really_ poorly, with “How not to get your ass kicked by the police” being Exhibit A.) Moriarty - Don’t be. I watched a fair amount of comedy in the past, mostly in the pre-Internet days when Comedy Central was one of the few consistently good channels on. I followed all the greats…Bob Hope was a master of the art, Carol Burnett was a genius, nobody did a lovable loser better than Rodney Dangerfield. Nowadays, though, it all seems so…_aimless_. I’ve watched dozens of comedians on shows like America’s Got Talent and not a single one elicited so much as a chuckle from me. I say the heck with it. Lost art. If a situation calls for a joke, I’ll make my own. Judging by my responses on YouTube, I think I’m not too shabby. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![orcenio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/orcenio/32/1036_2.png) [@orcenio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/orcenio)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2022, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-will-smith-punched-chris-rock-at-the-oscars-last-night/961826/657 "2022-04-05T15:48:18Z")
> [@DKW](#): > > That he stood there befuddled instead of firing an absolutely blistering “finish” doesn’t help, but mostly…“G.I. Jane”? I thought he was stunned into silence at first but no, Rock wasn’t stunned. He actively chose not to bury the Smiths. Rock even rejected pressing charges and having Smith hauled to jail. Rock hasn’t even attacked Smith to date. I think (despite being attacked, cursed, and vilified by Smith) Rock was first most concerned for his professionalism and also for Smith’s immediate mental health (who knows what being arrested would do to him). Let’s be honest, Smith looked broken. I think Rock seen this and thus has given nothing but compassion to him. He could’ve done so much damage. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2022, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-will-smith-punched-chris-rock-at-the-oscars-last-night/961826/658 "2022-04-05T16:41:29Z")
> [@DKW](#): > > I don’t think this is going to boost Chris Rock’s career as much as he’d like. I have a hard time imagining this is or was a goal. He doesn’t particularly need a career boost. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2022, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-will-smith-punched-chris-rock-at-the-oscars-last-night/961826/659 "2022-04-05T19:47:21Z")
> [@DKW](#): > > We’re still talking about this? All right… > > I don’t think this is going to boost Chris Rock’s career as much as he’d like. That he stood there befuddled instead of firing an absolutely blistering “finish” doesn’t help, but mostly…“G.I. Jane”? That’s from **1997**. Not exactly winning over the power demographics there, bud. (Personally, I liked his schtick to some extent in the past, but it’s aged _really_ poorly, with “How not to get your ass kicked by the police” being Exhibit A.) > > Moriarty - Don’t be. I watched a fair amount of comedy in the past, mostly in the pre-Internet days when Comedy Central was one of the few consistently good channels on. I followed all the greats…Bob Hope was a master of the art, Carol Burnett was a genius, nobody did a lovable loser better than Rodney Dangerfield. Nowadays, though, it all seems so…_aimless_. I’ve watched dozens of comedians on shows like America’s Got Talent and not a single one elicited so much as a chuckle from me. I say the heck with it. Lost art. If a situation calls for a joke, I’ll make my own. Judging by my responses on YouTube, I think I’m not too shabby. 🙂 If your exposure is from Americas Got Talent you won’t find much good comedy. I’ve heard comics talk about how hard it is to do good comedy on a show like that. The format definitely gives an advantage to singers. Comics are alone on a huge stage far from the audience. Already a bad place to be funny with an audience that doesn’t know you. You are sandwiched between a singer and a dog act. Then you have an extremely short time to get your jokes in. Half as long as a normal late night talk show set. If you are not a one liner comic there really isn’t much chance for you. And there are strict rules as to subject matter. That’s not even mentioning how bad the judges are at judging comedy. I don’t watch AGT regularly but I do remember seeing Gary Vider on there. He’s a solid comic. I’ve seen a decent amount of his work. He did pretty well on the show but it was obvious he was struggling with the format. It’s just a horrible atmosphere to try to do comedy. Bob Hope a master of his art? Well he certainly helped form what is stand up comedy. He transitioned it from vaudeville to a more modern form. But his best work is horribly dated and he continued to work for 40 past his best material. Carol Burnett is genius but she’s not a standup. Rodney was great at an older style of standup that was all rapid fire one liners. Loved him. Saw him live. His style would not work the same today. There are plenty of bad comics out there. There are also a lot of brilliant comics out there. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2022, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-will-smith-punched-chris-rock-at-the-oscars-last-night/961826/660 "2022-04-05T20:20:10Z")
> [@DKW](#): > > That he stood there befuddled instead of firing an absolutely blistering “finish” doesn’t help… > [@orcenio](#): > > I thought he was stunned into silence at first but no, Rock wasn’t stunned. He actively chose not to bury the Smiths. This. Had Rock followed up on the slap with a verbal takedown of Smith, it might have resulted in Smith coming back on stage to administer a more severe beatdown, completely derailing the entire event. Instead, Rock opted to put out the brush fire and keep the program moving forward. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-will-smith-punched-chris-rock-at-the-oscars-last-night/961826.md?page=32) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-will-smith-punched-chris-rock-at-the-oscars-last-night/961826.md?page=34)