According to a new poll that asked: “Who do you think was more at fault?
Blue Rose Research, a Democratic pollster, questioned 2,162 Americans online over the heated moment between Rock and Smith at Sunday’s Oscars, with 52.3 percent of people saying Rock deserved what he got after he joked about Smith’s wife’s shaved head.
As the comedian continued his part, Will Smith abruptly walked onto the stage and approached Rock, punching him in the face and then telling him from his seat, “Keep my wife’s name out of your friggin’ mouth,” which stunned the Crowd at the Dolby Theater.
While Smith has received the lion’s share of public criticism and faces possible academy discipline over the slap, data shows that a majority of Americans on the team support Smith, according to Blue Rose researcher David Shor.
The poll comes ahead of an emergency academy board meeting scheduled for Wednesday to consider whether Smith will be punished for his actions.
Of 2,162 Americans polled about the incident, more than half believed Chris Rock was more wrong and that Will Smith was justified in hitting him
A majority of 18- to 64-year-olds and those making less than $100,000 a year agreed that Rock was more wrong. About 56.5 percent of women blamed Rock, but 52.4 percent of men disagreed, saying Smith was to blame
Smith (right) strutted to Rock at the Oscars on Sunday night when the comedian made a joke about Smith’s wife’s shaved head, which was the result of an illness
The actor slapped Rock in the face, initially overwhelming the audience, some of whom cheered. While both actors have been criticized for the incident, most seem to side with Smith
Respondents were asked the following question: “There was an incident at the Oscars last night that you may have heard about. The host, comedian Chris Rock, commented on Jada Pinkett Smith’s hair loss and joked that she should be cast as GI Jane in a movie.
In response, her husband, actor Will Smith, stormed onto the stage and slapped Rock in the face. Who do you think was more wrong?”
According to the results, a majority of 18-64 year olds believed Rock was wrong, while about 51.8 percent of those 65 and older believed Smith was the one who crossed the line.
Men and women were divided on this issue, with 56.5 percent of women agreeing that Rock was most at fault, while 52.4 percent of men agreed that Smith was the one to blame.
In terms of income, the majority of those earning less than $100,000 a year blamed Rock, while the majority of those earning more blamed Smith.
About 51.1 percent of whites thought rock was to blame, as did 56 percent of blacks and 55.7 percent of Hispanics and Native Americans. Asians were split down the middle, according to the poll.
When asked how people voted in the 2020 presidential election, about 50.1 percent of voters blamed Joe Biden on Smith, while 50.8 percent of Donald Trump voters blamed Rock.
The majority of those who supported or did not vote for another candidate also blamed Rock.
The poll also found that a majority of people who agreed that spanking a child was “sometimes necessary” for discipline believed Rock was to blame, while a majority of those who disagreed blamed Smith.
Shor also displayed the results in a map of the presidential election, showing that if people voted the way they perceived the slapping incident, Smith would storm 470 electoral votes to Rock’s 68 votes.
If people voted on how they perceived the slapping incident, Smith would rush to Rock’s 68 with 470 electoral votes, according to the Blue Rose Research poll
The incident seemed to overshadow Smith’s Best Actor win, becoming only the fifth black man in history to win the award (above).
The slap that stunned the Oscars has led to many picking and commenting on who was really at fault.
Comedian Katherine Ryan defended Rock and slammed Smith for not being able to “make a joke” after he joked about his wife Jada’s shaved head.
Jada has been dealing with alopecia, an autoimmune condition that causes hair loss, since 2018, but Chris said he didn’t know she was suffering from it.
Ryan wrote in a tweet: “Yes, [Smith] sitting and watching his wife get insulted, yeah, that’s the point of the celebrity monologue. Can’t take a joke, stay home.’
Today Show host Craig Melvin also condemned Smith for “fueling this long-held perception that men of color cannot control their anger and anger.”
“It was really disappointing,” Melvin said Monday. “When you’re raising a boy, especially in this country, you spend so much time talking to our kids about it, you keep your hands to yourself, and that long perception of health that the colored guy can’t control, his anger and his anger and to see someone loved so much for decades – it was disturbing on so many levels.
Benedict Cumberbatch, another Best Actor nominee, as well as Best Director nominee Paul Thomas Anderson and actress Maya Rudolph were some of the stars standing in for Smith
Actor and comedian Jim Carrey slammed the crowd at Sunday’s Oscars for giving Will Smith a standing ovation after his now infamous slap for Chris Rock
Whoopi Goldberg doubled down on her promise to punish Will Smith during Tuesday’s show, saying: “There are consequences. There are big consequences because no one agrees with what happened. Nobody, nobody, nobody’
Later Monday morning, The View co-hosts Sunny Hostin and Ana Navarro also slammed Smith, calling his shocking outburst “immature and childish.” But co-host Whoopi Goldberg stepped in with a different take.
“I think he overreacted … I think he had one of those moments where it was like he was going to GD, just stop,” Goldberg said. “I understand not everyone behaves under pressure the way we would like them to. And he snapped.’
Goldberg, who is also a member of the academy’s board of directors, said she believes Smith can keep his Oscar but will face “major consequences because no one agrees with what happened.”
Smith has since apologized for the incident that overshadowed his Oscar win for best actor.
Actor and comedian Jim Carrey also believed Smith had crossed the line and slammed members of the Academy for clapping after he hit Rock.
“I was disgusted by the standing ovation,” he said, alluding to Smith taking home the best actor award shortly after the slap. “I felt like Hollywood en masse is just spineless. It really felt like this was a clear indication that we’re not the cool club anymore.
Benedict Cumberbatch, another Best Actor nominee, as well as Best Director nominee Paul Thomas Anderson and actress Maya Rudolph were some of the stars behind Smith’s win. Venus and Serena Williams, whose father Smith played in King Richard, also stood.
“You don’t have the right to go on stage and punch someone in the face for saying words,” Carrey said.