Kenny Rock weighs in on the incident between his brother Chris Rock and Will Smith at the 94th Academy Awards last Sunday.
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times published Monday, Kenny, 42, told the outlet how the event – in which the King Richard star confronted Chris Rock on stage after the comedian cracked a GI Jane joke about Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith (who is known to have alopecia) and hit him – has continued to influence him in the days since.
“It gnaws at me to watch it over and over again because you’ve seen a loved one being attacked and there’s nothing you can do about it,” the actor and entrepreneur told the outlet. He commented that his brother posed “no threat” to Smith, who at that moment “had no respect” for Rock and was “putting him down” in front of the Oscars’ million viewers (ABC’s broadcast of the Oscars attracted over 16 million viewers, more than in the previous year — but still significantly below previous years).
While Smith addressed the incident later that evening while accepting his Oscar for King Richard, and later apologized directly to Rock in a social media post, Kenny shared his view that the apology was made on stage — where he wasn’t was referring to rock, but instead told the academy and his fellow contestants that he was sorry — not enough and affecting how he perceived the whole event. “I might have seen it differently if he had initially apologized when he came on stage and cried and accepted the award, but he didn’t, so that’s what tells me it’s different,” he said he.
The cultural kickback has seen the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences launch a formal review into whether his conduct warrants action on their part, which could potentially include a suspension of the actor’s Academy membership — except that he’s already resigned. Smith noted in a statement to the organization that his actions at the Oscars were “shocking, painful and inexcusable” and that he “betrayed” the Academy’s trust. He also apologized to Rock’s family, writing, “The list of those I have hurt is long and includes Chris, his family, many of my dear friends and loved ones, everyone present and the global audience back home.”
But Kenny, who is one of Chris Rock’s six siblings, says he doesn’t accept that apology. “I don’t think it was real,” he told the LA Times. “I think his publicist and the people who work under him probably advised him to do it.”
Kenny also said he would like the Academy to revoke the Oscar he received that night for King Richard and bar him from attending future Academy Awards. He said he also believes his brother was unaware of Pinkett Smith’s alopecia. “The joke was funny,” Kenny said. “It wasn’t hilarious, but I know if he had known she had alopecia … he wouldn’t have joked about it. But he didn’t know.”
Kenny went on to say that Smith “should be taken out there” and that he is holding the Academy accountable.
Smith’s mother Carolyn also briefly shared her take on what happened to her son, telling CNN affiliate WPVI-TV that the slap came as a surprise: “He’s a very even-tempered, sociable person. This is the first time I’ve seen him walk away. For the first time in his life… I’ve never seen him do that before.”
As the aftermath continues, Netflix has pulled out of a project it set up with Smith called Fast and Loose, quietly shelving the film. It is currently not known whether other projects will be affected.