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When Actor Will Smith slapped Comedian Chris Rock on live television at the Academy Award Ceremony on March 27th, it send shock waves through the Academy's audience as well as to the viewers around the world. Everyone has weighed in on the matter, but the editors at Historianspeaks thought it might be interesting to have HBCU students provide their opinions. In this five part series, we will profile some of their responses here. We look forward to your thoughts and comments on these pieces.
Disclaimer: The opinions presented here are exclusively those of the writer.
On March 27,2022, during the Academy Awards ceremony Will Smith slapped Chris Rock after he made a negative comment about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith. The comment Chris Rock made was unnecessary. Because Rock is a comedian, Will Smith should not have slapped him. Whether it was a joke or not, there was a proper way for Will Smith to handle this situation. Since this is not the first negative comment Chris Rock has made about Will’s wife, he may have been fed up with him. I have two different perspectives on the slapping incident. One, I feel that Will Smith was out of line for slapping Chris Rock. He was also wrong for using profane language during the incident and after returning to his seat. Smith embarrassed himself in front of his kids, influencers, and staff. He has also destroyed his brand and marred the image of his family. He has left a bad scar on himself because what he did was inappropriate. Second, I felt Smith could have handled the situation differently.
After the award show, the media interviewed Academy Award attendees to get their perspective on Smith’s actions. Actress Tiffany Haddish agreed with Smith stating he acted appropriately as a husband. Haddish also suggested that Smith’s actions were rare among American men. Actress Josie Perez thought the academy should comment on Smith’s actions, and he should be punished. It is clear Smith should have thought about his actions instead of reacting. I also feel that he gained nothing by slapping Chris Rock.
It is also possible that Smith slapped Rock because he harbored lingering animosity toward him. I personally believe that all Will Smith needed was for Rock to say something about his wife. Rock’s comment became the trigger for the slap. I believe there should be consequences regarding Smith’s actions The situation could have been handled differently. The two men could have talked off camera. Will Smith knew that slapping Chris Rock was wrong, so he asked the academy to admonish him as well. Will Smith said that he had “betrayed” its trust with conduct that was “shocking, painful, and inexcusable.” This was a losing situation.