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How Comedians Reacted to Will Smith’s On-Air Slap

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Will Smith’s on-air slap against Chris Rock continues to give rise to controversy. Across the U.S., around the world, hundreds of thousands are debating Rock’s joke about Jada Smith’s shaved head and her husband’s violent reaction: Should comedy be limited? Is physical aggression justifiable when a person offends your wife? Are comedians free to make a joke about whatever they deem necessary? These all are questions that have contributed to an intense debate on social networks about the limits of comedy and Smith’s own aggression against Rock.

Beyond debates, however, there is one guild that unequivocally condemned, in unison, Will Smith and his aggression: comedians.

With more jokes or harsh criticism, U.S. comedians reacted against Smith by calling him crazy, violent or weak, for losing his composure at a global event and for a situation that, according to them, did not warrant further reaction, much less a violent slap.

“Let me tell you something, it’s a very bad practice to walk up on stage and physically assault a Comedian,” tweeted Kathy Griffin, who throughout her career has made ironic jokes about actors. “Now we all have to worry about who wants to be the next Will Smith in comedy clubs and theaters.”

“Will Smith owes Chris Rock a huge apology. There is no excuse for what he did. He’s lucky Chris isn’t filing assault charges,” Rob Rainer, writer and comedian, said. “The excuses he made tonight were bullshit,” he added referring to Smith’s crying when he went to receive the Oscar for best actor, and excused himself on love to justify his aggression against Rock. 

Will Smith, who initially apologized for his actions but did not mention Chris Rock, ended up posting a public apology on his Instagram where he told the comedian: “I was out of line and wrong.”

Los comediantes reaccionan a la cachetada de Will Smith con críticas y más bromas
Will Smith’s apology to Chris Rock. (Screenshot)

“I would have made fun of Jada Pinkett Smith’s boyfriend”

Rock’s joke, and his presentation in general, was different from the performance of the other three presenters, Regina Hall, Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes, who exercised a much lighter and more inoffensive type of comedy throughout the night. However, Rock’s style pales in comparison to other much tougher presenters at these kinds of galas, such as Ricky Gervais, who has been known to pull out the black, satirical and politically incorrect humor at the Golden Globes by poking at everything Hollywood.

Gervais at the Golden Globes

Gervais, according to reports, also gave his take on Smith v. Rock commenting that he “wouldn’t have mocked” Jada Pinkett Smith’s hair, but would have made a joke about “her boyfriend” if he had been hosting the Oscars. Apparently, Jada’s hair joke was too mild for Gervais.

In fact, he’s not the only comedian to see it that way. This past Monday, on his SiriusXM radio show, Howard Stern said the comedian’s joke was not a good one, and harshly criticized both Smith and The Academy, and everyone in attendance that gave the actor a standing ovation allowing him to continue at the gala even after assaulting Rock.

“Here is Hollywood, who are outraged by anything. Not a single person stood up to say: ‘Hold on, we have an out-of-control situation.’ How was this guy allowed to sit there for the rest of the awards… he just assaulted Chris Rock,” said Stern, who added, “It wasn’t even a good joke. The joke, frankly, was beneath Chris Rock.”

George Wallace, who has a brilliant show-business background and is friends with Rock and Smith, shared Kathy Griffin’s stance that this is an unfortunate episode for comedians, who now see how an audience becomes emboldened, willing to cancel or even assault the comedian for a joke they don’t like.  

“As Rock got hit, I got hit. We comedians feel the pain,” Wallace said.

“You don’t know what’s going to offend someone. People in the audience feel free to speak up now, they feel bold,” he explained.

Actor Will Smith (r) slaps gala host Chris Rock (l) during the 94th annual U.S. Academy Film Awards ceremony at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States. (EFE)

Likewise, comedian Judd Apatow, in a deleted tweet, harshly attacked Smith, who is also a comedian, for losing his mind over something that has become routine at the galas: jokes against actors.

“They’ve heard a million jokes about them over the last three decades. They’re not rookies in the world of Hollywood and comedy. He’s lost his mind,” the comedian said, who called the slapping a fit of “out-of-control rage and violence.”

Other comedians simply joked about it.

“I just saw Will Smith’s slap. Does anyone have a late-night show I can borrow just for tomorrow?” blurted out Conan O’Brien, who last year ended his TV show.

“And here I thought Kanye and I had issues!” was Trevor Noah´s commentary regarding the slap. He is scheduled to host the Grammy Awards this weekend and has recently criticized the rapper on social media.

Emmanuel Alejandro Rondón is a journalist at El American specializing in the areas of American politics and media analysis // Emmanuel Alejandro Rondón es periodista de El American especializado en las áreas de política americana y análisis de medios de comunicación.

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