During the Oscars of 2022, many iconic moments happened throughout the award show. A few of these moments being Billie Eilish’s first oscar win, Dune’s multiple wins in Best Cinematography, and Encanto’s win for best animated feature. However, out of all these iconic awards one event stood out the most for all audience members. This occurrence was blasted in several different news sources and social media platforms. No matter where you went, this major moment in the Oscars was always talked about.

This event is known as the Will Smith incident in which Will Smith slapped Chris Rock on live television. As insane as it sounds, this event was verified to be completely true and not staged. Due to this, the explosion of different reactions between people siding with one person has gained a worldwide conflict and many are trying to over analyze the situation. So what exactly happened and who is in the right?

What Occurred during this Incident?

We must begin before the whole incident even occurred. First, Chris Rock was put as a host for the Oscars of 2022, as he began with jokes poking fun at the crowd the audience seemed to love it and laughed along. Soon he states, “Jada, I love ya. G.I. Jane 2, can’t wait to see her.” The camera then panned to the crowd for their reaction and displayed Will Smith laughing along as the audience had a few mixed reactions to the joke.

During this time, it was visible that Jada Pinkett’s reaction was unamused and irritated. Chris Rock then states, “that was a nice one,” as he soon moves on with the program. This rapidly led into Smith slapping Chris Rock and then yelling, “Keep my wife’s name out your f’ning mouth”. Even though this incident happened so quickly, Chris Rock moved on from the situation in a professional manner, before it could escalate.

Intentions Behind the Joke

To the many who don’t understand Chris Rock’s joke about Jada Pinkett the main idea behind it was poking fun of Jada Pinkett’s hairstyle. Chris Rock had compared her appearance to G.I. Jane, which is a movie that has a protagonist with a shaved head. Many felt this joke was inappropriate because Jada Pinkett has displayed multiple times in social media her troubles on dealing with Alopecia areata. Alopecia areata is an autoimmune condition that causes hair loss. As a result, several people quickly took their views on social media about the joke made and discussed who they believed was in the right. 

Split Reactions

Celebrities like Stephen Curry, Snoop Dog, Jim Carrey, and Stephen A. Smith believed that Will Smith’s actions were inappropriate.

“I was sickened, sickened by the standing ovation. I felt like Hollywood is just spineless on mass,” said Jim Carrey on CBS news.

“Props and congratulations to him for winning an Oscar because he deserved it. I love the brother (Will Smith) and I am proud of him, but boy was that a shameful act for him to commit tonight,” said Stephen A. Smith on Twitter.

In contrast, some viewed Will Smith’s actions justifiable and believed that it was a normal reaction given the situation.

“I know Will very well and I love him. I think he’s a great man and if anybody insulted my wife, I’d be pretty angry too,” said Jon Voight on Good Morning Britain.

“I believe whatever he felt that he did, he had the right to do. I also felt there were three losers in one fight,” said Liam Payne on Good Morning Britain.

Paying up the consequences

Consequently, the actions of Will Smith were taken into account and the Academy Awards made a final decision in banning Smith from the Oscars for 10 years. In addition, Smith gave an apology to Chris Rock and his fans. In this apology, he states he is sorry for showcasing violence and believes that it was wrong for the way he reacted.

Who do you side with?

Furthermore, the Oscars were put on the spot for allowing jokes like these for the last few years to be shown on Television. Despite whether or not people agree with these jokes and the stance of Smith and Rock, it is apparent that the display of violence in any event is not condoned. Therefore, this whole situation between the two celebrities has put more emphasis on shows and programs to have a more respectful way to handle these circumstances. Thus, this results into the only one main question, who do you think is in the right?