Celebrities Divided Over Will Smith Slapping Chris Rock At The Oscars, Smith Apologizes to Rock

Naturally, Will Smith unexpectedly slapping Chris Rock at the 94th annual Academy Awards was on a lot of people’s minds on Monday (March 28th). Many celebrities spoke on the incident—and opinions landed all across the board.

Tiffany Haddish told People at the Governors Ball following the event, "When I saw a Black man stand up for his wife. That meant so much to me. As a woman, who has been unprotected, for someone to say, 'Keep my wife's name out your mouth, leave my wife alone,' that's what your husband is supposed to do, right? Protect you. And that meant the world to me. And maybe the world might not like how it went down, but for me, it was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen because it made me believe that there are still men out there that love and care about their women, their wives."

Today host Craig Melvin said on Monday (March 28th), “If you’re rearing a boy, especially in this country, you spend so much time talking to our kids about keeping your hands to yourself, controlling your emotions and then there’s also this long-held perception in this country that men of color, especially, can’t control their rage and their anger, and to see someone who’s been that beloved for decades — it was troubling on so many levels.”

Ex on the Beach contestant ZaraLena Jackson, who also suffers from alopecia, said, “I think it’s inappropriate to make any joke about someone with alopecia as it’s a condition that highly impacts mental health for that individual and isn’t a laughing matter. To be clear, I don’t condone violence, but him defending Jada showed strength in my eyes and was very comforting to see a man stand by his woman when she has alopecia.”

Rosie O’Donnell posted to Twitter, “so upsetting – on every level – bravo to Chris Rock – for not eviscerating will smith – which he could do any day of the week – he walked away – bravo from a sad display of toxic masculinity from a narcissistic madman #Oscars2022 #chrisROCK.”

Nicki Minaj wrote a series of tweets on Monday morning (March 28th). “Imagine what it must feel like to be losing your hair to the point where you have to shave it bald. You think that’s easy to deal with for anyone? You don’t think she’s cried about that many times? 2022 y’all gon have to see these men about those jokes you made about their wives,” she wrote, adding that Smith had “a front row seat to his wife’s pain… he’s the 1 consoling her… drying her tears behind closed doors when those cameras go off.”

Jodie Turner-Smith posted to Twitter Sunday (March 27th), “and as far as *that incident* goes….. i am still processing. i have second hand embarrassment for all involved.”

Kathy Griffin also posted to Twitter Sunday (March 27th), “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.”

Whoopi Goldberg said she feels Smith “overreacted.” On Monday’s (March 28th) episode of The View, she said, “I get it. Not everybody acts the way we would like them to under pressure. Some people just snap. He snapped. What I do want to say was that it was remarkable, wonderful, that Chris Rock did not take it to that other place it could’ve gone. I don’t know if they spoke or apologized or not. All I know is sometimes you get to a point where you behave badly. I myself have behaved badly on occasion.”

Sean “Diddy” Combs told Page Six on Sunday night (March 27th) that Smith and Rock had worked out their issues. “That’s not a problem. That’s over. I can confirm that … It’s all love. They’re brothers,” he said. It is reported that Rock will not be pressing charges against Smith.

THE ACADEMY OF MOTION PICTURE ARTS AND SCIENCES SAYS THEY’RE CONDUCTING A ‘FORMAL REVIEW’

The Academy posted a statement to Twitter following the event that read, “The Academy does not condone violence of any form … Tonight we are delighted to celebrate our 94th Academy Awards winners, who deserve this moment of recognition from their peers and movie lovers around the world.” On Monday (March 28th), they released a statement saying they were conducting a formal review. “The Academy condemns the actions of Mr. Smith at last night’s show. We have officially started a formal review around the incident and will explore further action and consequences in accordance with our Bylaws, Standards of Conduct and California law,” the statement reads.

Some Twitter users commented on the possibility of Smith losing his Oscar. “If we are talking about taking back Oscar’s let’s start with Roman Polanski,” one user wrote. Another commented, “The Academy spent decades ignoring rape by Harvey Weinstein before it was forced to remove him from its membership, and never once took action against violence by Roman Polanski who drugged and raped a 13 year old or Mel Gibson who continues to promote hate.”

SAG-AFTRA RELEASES STATEMENT, SAYS SMITH’S BEHAVIOR IS ‘UNACCAPTABLE’

In a statement released on Monday (March 28th), SAG-AFTRA wrote, “As the union representing presenters and other performers working on the Oscars, SAG-AFTRA is focused on ensuring our members always work in a safe environment.”

The statement continued, “Violence or physical abuse in the workplace is never appropriate and the union condemns any such conduct. The incident involving Will Smith and Chris Rock at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable. We have been in contact with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and ABC about this incident and will work to ensure this behavior is appropriately addressed. SAG-AFTRA does not comment on any pending member disciplinary process.”

WILL SMITH APOLOGIZES TO CHRIS ROCK

On Monday night (March 28th), Will Smith issued an apology to Chris Rock. In an Instagram post, Smith wrote, “Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive. My behavior at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable.”

“I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness,” he continued.

“I would also like to apologize to the Academy, the producers of the show, all the attendees and everyone watching around the world. I would like to apologize to the Williams Family and my King Richard Family. I deeply regret that my behavior has stained what has been an otherwise gorgeous journey for all of us,” Smith wrote.