Gilbert Gottfried – who was known for voicing Iago the Parrot in Disney’s Aladdin franchise – passed away on April 12 at the age of 67 following a “long illness.” But in his final Instagram post, he spoke out in support for fellow comedian Chris Rock, who was smacked in the face by Will Smith after he had made a joke about his wife Jada at the Oscars.
Alongside a throwback picture of himself and Chris, he wrote, “Which is the worst crime? Chris Rock being physically assaulted or Chris Rock telling a joke?”
The incident came about after Rock poked fun at Jada – who suffers from alopecia – for having a shaven head, comparing her look to the do sported by Demi Moore in the war-themed movie G.I. Jane. “Jada, love ya. G.I. Jane 2, can’t wait to see it, ” Rocke said.
Will – who was presented with the Best Actor Oscar just over half an hour later for his starring role in King Richard – laughed at first, but Jada looked unimpressed and the actor then strode onto the stage, slapped the comedian, and walked away.
Since the incident, Smith has apologized for his actions, stepped down from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and board officials have banned him from the ceremony for ten years.
Meanwhile, the Problem Child star, Gottfreid Gilbert is survived by his wife of 15 years Dara Kravitz, 52, and their children Lily, 14, and Max, 12, with his publicist Glenn Schwartz claiming that the actor had passed away due to a rare muscular disease.
The beloved comedian passed away at 2:35 p.m. ET on April 12, 2022 from Recurrent Ventricular Tachycardia due to Myotonic Dystrophy type II.”
