Journalism of Courage
Actor Will Smith, who won the Best Actor award at the 94th annual Academy Awards, shocked the in-person audience and those watching the event live around the world when he slapped presenter Chris Rock onstage. A few said it was clearly scripted, the rest were taken aback at Smith’s extreme reaction against a relatively tame joke.
Rock, on his part, recovered in seconds, flashed his trademark smile, and joked, “Oh, wow, Will Smith just smacked the s*** out of me. That was the greatest night in the history of television.”
The reason for Smith’s assault was a joke Rock had cracked moments before about the former’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith. In the joke, Rock said while referring to Jada, “G.I. Jane 2. Can’t wait to see it.” 1997’s G.I. Jane, a war drama, had Demi Moore playing the role of the (fictional) first female Navy Seal who shaved her head. The joke was meant to make fun of Jada’s lack of hair due to a condition called alopecia.
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As per an uncensored video doing the rounds on the internet, Smith, after settling down, screamed at Rock to keep his “wife’s name out of your f***ing mouth!”
Will Smith’s non-apology?
In his acceptance speech after winning the Best Actor award, he apologised to everybody, except, it seems, to Rock. “I want to apologise to the Academy. I want to apologise to all my fellow nominees. This is a beautiful moment and I’m not crying for winning an award. It’s not about winning an award for me. It’s about being able to shine a light on all of the people,” he said.
He signed off on a lighter note: “Art imitates life. I look like the crazy father. But love will make you do crazy things. I hope the Academy invites me back.”
How did the Academy react?
After the ceremony ended, the official Twitter handle of the Academy said it 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,” the statement continued
Rock had made Jada a butt of a joke in the 2016 iteration of the Oscars as well. Jada, along with Smith and filmmaker Spike Lee, had boycotted that year’s ceremony due to predominantly white nominees (all 20 nominated actors were white).
Rock, who had hosted the Oscars that year, had said that her boycotting Oscars is ” like me boycotting Rihanna’s panties. I wasn’t invited!”
He added, “I understand you’re mad – Jada’s mad her man Will was not nominated for Concussion (Smith’s 2015 sports drama film). I get it. Tell the truth. I get it. It’s not fair that Will was this good and didn’t get nominated. It’s also not fair that Will was paid $20 million for Wild Wild West.”
Smiths have been a target of ridicule and jokes for years about their marital life, which by Smith’s own admission has faced extramarital affairs and is open (in which partners agree to have sexual relations with others).
Smith told GQ last year, “Jada never believed in a conventional marriage. Jada had family members that had an unconventional relationship. So, she grew up in a way that was very different from how I grew up.”
In the BAFTAs earlier this month, actor-comedian and host Rebel Wilson had also chimed in with a joke about Smiths. She said after Smith won a BAFTA, “I thought his best performance over the past year was being OK with all his wife’s boyfriends!”
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After the ceremony, Smith insisted while in an interview with CBS Sunday Morning, “There’s never been infidelity in our marriage. Jada and I talk about everything, and we have never surprised one another with anything ever.”
During this very Oscar ceremony, as well, Regina Hall, one of the three hosts, had joked about Smiths’ lack of monogamy. Her joke, however, did not lead to Smith erupting in fury, and he simply smiled sheepishly. It appears clear that Smith’s reaction to Rock’s jibe, unexpected though it was, had been building up for years.
