Nobody will forget this moment. Will Smith slaps Chris Rock across the face in a bang that echoes around the world. An audience of millions is stunned – and rightfully so.
A punch in the face. Journalists like to use these words when commenting on controversial political decisions or speeches. But this time I mean it literally. Will Smith punched Chris Rock in the face. Just like that. Out of the blue. During this year’s Oscars. In front of an audience of millions.
No, this moment was not scripted. The two actors, who are known for their sense of humor, disagreed and made a crazy joke here. It also wasn’t a stunt to show the world just how incredibly authentic Hollywood is. And that’s despite Chris Rock refusing to file a complaint after the incident. The LAPD were even forced to testify – read more about it here.
Photo series with 42 photos
Will Smith acted out of affection – and reacted as impulsively as someone who was deeply hurt. It was that line that teased Smith and finally made the final straw: “I can’t wait to see you in The Jane Files 2,” Chris Rock told Will’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. A cheesy joke that referenced how Demi Moore appeared in ‘The Jane Files’ with her head shaved and Jada Pinkett Smith is suffering from hair loss due to an illness.
Oscar: Will Smith punches Chris Rock in the face on stage. (Source: Reuters)
The 50-year-old woman rolled her eyes in disbelief at the sick joke. Her husband, however, got up and ran straight to Chris Rock on stage. That’s when it happened: the moment of scandal that overshadowed the rest of the night. No one else talked about the winning film “Coda” or the surprisingly empty favorite “Power of the Dog,” which won just one award out of twelve nominations. Or about the elephant in the room, which has put the Oscars in a bad light this year: because the Oscars have rarely been as apolitical and irrelevant as they were in 2022 – and all-time at a time when Ukraine is sinking into war.
Smith justified: “I’m here to protect people”
So that punch left more than just the red mark on Chris Rock’s cheek. A slap on several levels, more or less. As a viewer, you sat stunned, in disbelief, and completely baffled in front of the television: “Did he really not do that?” shot in his head. When it quickly became clear that Will Smith had slapped his colleague on purpose and without prior consultation, the next level followed. The reconstruction of the male feud.
Jada Pinkett Smith’s illness, Chris Rock’s gags in 2016, when he had previously mocked the actress for not attending the Oscars: This quickly made people understand. You suddenly felt sorry for Will Smith. Somehow you can understand it, you thought to yourself. Or as this year’s Lead Actor winner put it in his acceptance speech afterwards: “I’m here to protect the people.” “Love makes you do crazy things,” he added. His wife is sick, a comedian taunts her: Sure, it’s easy to blow your fuses – it can happen, Will!
A joke about her made the camel overflow: Jada Pinkett Smith suffers from alopecia, a pathological loss of hair. (Credit: Mike Coppola/Getty Images)
But then came the third level. Anyone who has seen the Oscars also knows this event as a parade of scathing humor. Under-the-belt jokes, harsh political assessment and scathing comments about co-workers or the Hollywood industry in general. It’s part of the Oscars agenda. If you can’t take it, you have to stay home. It is precisely this sharpness that makes the attraction of the most important film award in the world. All too often, he is in self-adulation. For a kind of show run: lots of glitz, lots of glamor – little behind it.
No gag is a license for violence
But the hosts, the moderators who lead the show, provide this certain thing. What Jimmy Kimmel was praised for for his jokes in 2017 and 2018, or Chris Rock: When he led the night in 2016, many laughed in their throats. But in hindsight, that’s what was talked about and celebrated. Now, in a moment of overflowing emotions, Will Smith has managed to screw it up. A joke, a hit – and the world of Hollywood is already different.
Of course one can have sympathy for a man whose wife has been made fun of. But is this a free pass to violence? Should we make tapas socially acceptable because we’re celebrating Will Smith for standing his ground? Or wouldn’t it have been much more powerful if he had verbally responded to Chris Rock’s failed statement? An interjection, a shrewd counterattack: willingly. But a hand slapping someone’s face with full force? No thank you. That would have been true grandeur, because it would only make one man in the room look bad. Now not only Chris Rock, but also Will Smith has to put up with the accusation of going too far.