I didn’t.
Many others also posted no such praise.
That’s how it looked to me as well. That’s about all of the program I saw. If there had been something building all night…I wouldn’t know it, because I saw the fireworks clip the next morning.
FWIW I honestly think she looks great—she has such a pretty face, carries herself well, and hair or no hair, she’s very attractive. I say that also because maybe Rock thought she knows she’s still got it and therefore will have the self-esteem to take the joke. I don’t follow any of them, so for all I know they live in the same upscale neighborhood and have lunch together regularly, talked about it in advance, etc. or maybe they live on opposite sides of the earth.
I’m not excusing Rock, though. Early today I thought I read that nobody objected to the joke at rehearsal, but then I read later that no, that joke had not been vetted prior. That makes me think he realized they might squelch it, so he kept it to himself and rolled the dice when the time came. Jokes aren’t as funny the second time around.
I was thinking about the time Adrien Brody kissed Halle Berry without her consent. And yeah, Janet Jackson’s “wardrobe malfunction.” Or Kanye dissing Taylor Swift. There’s always the possibility that it’s manufactured drama for the sake of ratings.
The slap reads as symbolic to me…that’s what a parent might do when his kid gets out of line. Smith didn’t punch with a fist, which could have been an invitation to a fistfight. But I think you can do some damage with a slap, especially if it’s coming from someone as big as Will Smith. And you always have to be mindful of possible preexisting conditions.
Very often true but I think it’s important to remember that some would say his wife had also been humiliated in front of millions of people. I’m not saying that excuses it but it ratchets up the tension quite a bit. She wasn’t embarrassed at a small cocktail party. He seemed to take his cue from her, which is different from being incensed and reacting without thinking.
It’s pretty incredible to me that Chris Rock kept going.
Hmm, what should he have done? Stood up, demanded that Rock apologize to his wife? Maybe said, “This is a result of a disease and what kind of person makes fun of something like that? She is still the most beautiful woman I know!” etc. Or sue Rock in court, or make Rock’s name mud around Hollywood or whatever.
The whole thing is surreal. A comedian’s up there trying to make people laugh and suddenly the whole room is on edge. Remember when (I’m too lazy to find it) there was that exchange in acceptance speeches (1970s?) where one essentially said, “I couldn’t live with myself tomorrow if i didn’t say…” and then another winner a little basically replied “I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t say that the awards aren’t a platform to inflict political opinions on others.”? Suddenly I miss those days…
It’s 2022’s Boobgate.
Not condoning it but the major differences are
- Bart Sibrel kept getting into Buzz’s face even when Buzz tried to walk away. No way comparable to Rock/Smith.
- Bart called Buzz a liar and a coward while standing a foot away. I’m not saying those are fighting words but it’s a lot more confrontational than making a joke about your wife having short hair.
Yeah, and Andy had to wear that neck brace for months! /s
Also Buzz was lured there by Sibrel, was being harassed with an insane conspiracy theorist, and was a 72 year old man at the time. (well older then Sibrel)
The chair-throwing incident on “Geraldo”.
Chris … errr … Jim Everett
I’ve never hit anyone, but yes, sometimes a sincere apology is what is needed.
Do you think that, absent any reaction from Will and Jada Smith, that joke would’ve been offensive enough to be on the radar for any negative attention in the coverage of the ceremonies?
I don’t.
It was a dumb joke that didn’t land - and that could be part of the problem.
When I was in college, I took a class in broadcast writing and one unintended lesson I learned was that you can get away with really tasteless comedy as long as you’re also really really funny. So, maybe in that sense it was Chris Rock’s fault, because that really wasn’t funny at all.
But the roasting of attendees seems to be traditional in events like these, and I think, as an adult, if you are going to participate in these events, you know the type of material that’s coming and you should be able to handle it - and if you can’t, you shouldn’t attend.
I’ve heard way worse at similar events, and can’t recall any public outcry about tasteless jokes unless the subject was a minor or Sara Huckabee Sanders, who gets special protection because she’s such a target. Or Trump.
And if I’m going to criticize Trump for trying to destroy civilization in order to get revenge for that time Obama roasted him and got everyone to laugh at him, I’m also going to call Will Smith a snowflake.
He should’ve done what he was supposed to do, what countless celebrities before him have done when the emcee made a joke that hit a nerve……laugh like it doesn’t bother you because you know the cameras are turned on you, and if you get a chance to take the stage later, come back with a zinger of your own……Chris Rock says my wife’s head looks like his wife’s bare bottom, and I’m here to tell you I KNOW he’s right*……or something like that.
- which is a joke that rightfully might have been so offensive to deserve outrage, but it’s way worse than the joke Rock told.
But we still live in a civilized society, although it seems less so each day - and we can’t get it the habit of punching people out over insults. We just can’t. it’s not brave or manly, it’s a snowflake move.
This for me. I mean at worst, if he was fully aware of her condition, it has questionable taste. But you could make the argument that instead of insulting her, he was comparing her to an objectively attractive actress playing the part of an empowered woman. I mean, I can see she didn’t like it and did take it as an insult but I’m not sure it was meant to “humiliate” her. Really, I think the biggest offense is that it wasn’t very funny…
I like this post.
Yeah, that’s where I see a difference: Aldrin did not go out of his way to go slug Sibrel. So it comes across as a more understandable reaction to being cornered in an aggressive confrontation, compared to Smith who got up from when he was cofortably seated and and walked across the the stage to where Rock was standing, so he was acting with deliberation.
…
Rock’s joke was lame and weak and insensitive. In the end however I have more respect for his apparent “hey, no harm but to pride, let’s carry on and not make a further issue of it” attitude afterward.
So your position is that he wasn’t actually making a joke intended to elicit laughter from the audience? And it did elicit laughter. Was the audience mistaken in interpreting Rock’s remark as a joke? Do you honestly believe a close-shaven scalp wasn’t the central element of her “fit and fierce” appearance, or the central element most people recall from Demi Moore’s performance in GI Jane?
When a person has transgressed, an apology is the right thing to do, whether or not it mitigates consequences, and a genuine apology is one that’s given without any particular expectation of clemency. It’s good and right that Smith has offered an apology, even if it was ghost-written - and it’s probably still fair for some negative consequences to befall him, irrespective of any apology.
Do you think the laws against assault and battery should be amended to make room for incidents like this in civil society?
Hope the judge agrees with you
In this case, no judges are involved.
I would put it on the jury nullification option to decide this with our peers as evaluator of the totality of the circumstances,.
My point is if I had done this, there is no way “I’m sorry” would make it ok. I’d still be out on bail looking for an attorney.
Perhaps my hypothetical experience is different from your hypothetical experience.
I wasn’t there so I’m just going by your statement that “other customers saw a crazy person”. So by your own admission, your behavior could be interpreted by the casual observer as out of line.
I guess I have to wonder why you intended by “invading his space, getting right in his face, and raising your voice”? Is the intent to intimidate the salesman? Goad him into hitting you? What if he just laughed in your face?
I think the normal reaction is to ask to deal with his manager or tell him you don’t like how he’s being rude to your wife and take your business elsewhere.