Perhaps discerning the gravity of his actions, which were unprecedented in the nearly century-long history of the Academy Awards, Will Smith apologized for smacking comedian Chris Rock on live television.
Rock, as has been reported ad nauseam since Sunday night, March 27, 2022, cracked a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s bald head which is the result of her autoimmune disease apolecia. Stunned and outraged, Smith stormed the stage and slapped the taste out of Rock’s mouth.
During the acceptance speech for his first Academy Award for his brilliant performance in King Richard, Smith apologized to the Academy and others for his behavior.
“I know to do what we do, you gotta be able to take abuse and have people talk people about you. In this business, you gotta have people disrespecting you. And you gotta smile and pretend that’s OK,” Smith said.
Smith revealed that after the smackdown heard around the world, fellow Best Actor nominee Denzel Washington shared some wisdom with him: “At your highest moment be careful, that’s when the devil comes for you.”
The bad optics notwithstanding, some men on social media consider Smith a husband’s hero because he took matters into his own hands to defend his wife’s honor after someone insulted her.
It’s not just some men who took up for Smith, not by a long shot. ESPN’s Molly Querim said live on the show “First Take” that she “had no problem” with what Smith did because “he loves her so much.” Entertainers Tiffany Haddish and Nicki Minaj also went to bat for the I Am Legend actor, with Haddish saying Smith’s gesture “meant the world” to her to see a man stand up for his woman because Haddish said so few men in her life have stood up for her.
Ironically, actress Janet Hubert, who had been at war with Will Smith since the days of “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air back in the early 1990’s, defended Smith smackdown.
“There is only so much one can take… sometimes you have to slap back,” Hubert penned for her 35,000 Instagram followers. “Celebrate the win… nothing else matters. Both actions were incorrect but Chris didn’t need to go there. Met him once… it was enough for me… very mean spirited.”
Also, NBC News reports that two congresswomen also defended Smith’s actions, including one who suffers from the same autoimmune disease as Pinkett Smith.
“#Alopecia nation stand up! Thank you #WillSmith,” tweeted Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass, before she deleted it.
The publication said Pressley added a photo of her bald head while pictured with her husband.
“Shout-out to all the husbands who defend their wives living with alopecia in the face of daily ignorance & insults,” Pressley reportedly wrote then added, “Women with baldies are for real men only. Boys need not apply.”
The TV station also said that Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., tweeted and then deleted her post, which said: “Teachable Moment: Don’t joke about a Black Woman’s hair.”
