by
Chris Rock and Will Smith (Photo: AP)
The Academy Awards have seemed a little off in recent years. It's no longer the compelling, must-see TV it once was. On Sunday night, at minimum, some had hoped to see the internationally watched event used to voice collective rage against Russia's brutal invasion of Ukraine. There was some, but very limited.
But what true rage viewers did see was a machismo Will Smith go up on stage and slap presenter Chris Rock after he joked about Smith's wife's Jada Pinkett Smith's medical issue, alopecia, which causes balding. Smith then sat down and yelled:
“Keep my wife’s name out your fucking mouth!” Smith later returned to the stage to receive an Oscar for Best Actor for "King Richard."
In Metro Detroit, the online reaction was mixed.
Mary Ann Camillo wrote on the Detroit Free Press' Facebook page: "Smith did what a lot of people would probably like to do when those 'comedians' make fun of them. That was a very low blow re JP Smith. I give her credit for not covering her head with a wig. She has a medical condition she has to live with. It's her reality now. No one should make fun of it!"
Other comments on that page:
Carolyn Allen: "The gig is up talking about Black women on a national stage...Black male comedians been making a career off disrespecting black women on a live stage in front of billions for years. SO GLAD WILL SMITH PUTTING A END TO THIS SH**."
Jackie Bates: "The open handed sissy slap Will gave Chis Rock was uncalled for, he should have had cops waiting for him by the theater door. This will be let go like everything else and just chalked up to poor victimhood..... No wonder common decency isn't commonplace any longer. 'Karen' Smith and 'Ken' Smith need to stop looking for immediate victim attention and maybe personally deal with it like adults not high school hotheads."
VIA JAPANESE TELEVISION: The uncensored exchange between Will Smith and Chris Rock pic.twitter.com/j0Z184ZyXa
— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) March 28, 2022
Michael Ferguson: "It's hilarious that people are shocked that a comedian makes a controversial joke. It's literally what they do for a living."
Denise Crittendon, a writer and former Detroit News reporter, wrote on her Facebook page: "I was really rooting for Will. But, after all of his hard work he ended up being both the winner and the loser at the same time!
"I feel sorry for Chris Rock. He's a comedian doing what comedians do best. Very few people or topics are sacred or off limits during stand-up comedy acts. Clearly, Chris was pretty shaken up by Will's reaction. My guess is that he'll never agree to host The Oscars again. Then again, if you dish it out you have to be able to take it."
Jeff F writes on The Detroit News' site: "What a disgraceful response. Will Smith needs to handle a situation like this without resorting to violence."
Robert F: "Will Smith just signed to do a biopic of UM Men's Basketball Coach, Juwan Howard. The movie is tentatively named, "Keep my team's name out of your $uCki!ng mouth!!"
Anthony G: "How sad. If you can't handle your feelings stay home."
Michael James, a native Detroiter and former Detroit News and New York Daily News reporter, who has a blog The Tribe Sports, and lives in Brooklyn, posts on his Facebook page:
(Illustration: Michael James)
"OK, after we get all the jokes out of the way concerning Will Smith's attack - yes, that's what it was - on Chris Rock, here's what truly breaks my heart about the whole thing:
1. Will Smith showed us that he was never quite who we thought he was.
2. Will Smith would have NEVER slapped a white man on national TV. He does that to say, Bradley Cooper, and he's in jail tonight with a career possibly unsalvageable.
3. It's a shame that Will thought so little of the beloved Chris Rock that he believed he could get away with this.
"I made this meme because I didn't think many would realize the racial component of this, how this high-profile black-on-black crime sets African-American people back years. I will NEVER see Will Smith the same."
