Will Smith/Chris Rock incident: Real or Staged?

[MightyGiants]

Just cause someone does good deeds and throws money they have and can afford to give away doesn

[Slugsy-Narrows]

Sorry, but actions speak louder than words.   When you have a man who gives not just his money but his time and throw in the many many stories of Tom Hanks just doing good things for random strangers, I have to wonder how well charitical acts of the people throwing stones at him match up

That

[Jolly Blue Giant]

There are some in Hollywood who are truly decent people. Denzel Washington jumps to mind. Some don't flaunt their wealth and are modest in every way. I don't think there's a better person in Hollywood than Keanu Reeves. He's embarrassed of the money he makes so he gives much of it away - especially to people less fortunate than himself while donating millions to children's hospitals, cancer research, etc. He gave 70% of his earnings in Matrix to charity then turned around and bought new Harley Davidson motorcycles for the stuntmen that did the hard work in his movie. He constantly mingles with commoners and is genuinely modest to everyone right down to the homeless, giving up his seat on the subway to women and elderly, giving any kid an autograph, helping people along the road when their car breaks down, etc. He does not carry himself in any way that would indicate that he thinks he is better than anyone. And when anyone asks to have their picture taken with him, he always complies and at the same time, never touches a woman while they get their selfie. He puts his hand in his pocket rather than around their waist and doesn't ever want them to feel belittled, etc. He's smart enough to know that people don't want to hear his political opinions or opinions on anything for that matter and is known for listening, not talking and takes a genuine interest in other people. On top of that, his ridiculous amount of charity works was kept a secret for over 18 years until someone from the inside broke the news for which Keanu did NOT want it known. Just a really, really good person. Google him - he's a person that breaks the mold for how actors should be. He will never ever be caught with a smug look on his face because he thinks he better than someone

[DaveBrown74]

I try not to assume the worst about people as a general practice. I have always liked Tom Hanks, because he does come off as a nice guy, from all that I have gathered people who know him seem to like him and like working with him, and he definitely makes really good movies for the most part.

With that said, I also don't think anyone can really know someone's true nature until they really know him or her very closely, with a lot of firsthand experiences, particularly during bad times or challenging situations. Just because someone usually comes off as nice and humble in interviews doesn't mean they don't have a dark side. Did any of you think Bill Cosby was a terrible human being before the allegations against him came to light? Even OJ was pretty popular and well liked prior to his whole disaster. And he was not a professional, highly skilled actor like Hanks.

Generally speaking, I don't like applying unflattering labels to broad groups of people. It is very common in our society to do that. People judge large groups based on their profession, whom they voted for, and certainly of course for their religion/ethnic group, sexual preference, and so on. I try to make it a practice not to ever do this, and that certainly includes Hollywood. I think plenty of people in that industry are good people. Obviously, plenty are not. Same as any other large industry.

[Slugsy-Narrows]

There are some in Hollywood who are truly decent people. Denzel Washington jumps to mind. Some don't flaunt their wealth and are modest in every way. I don't think there's a better person in Hollywood than Keanu Reeves. He's embarrassed of the money he makes so he gives much of it away - especially to people less fortunate than himself while donating millions to children's hospitals, cancer research, etc. He gave 70% of his earnings in Matrix to charity then turned around and bought new Harley Davidson motorcycles for the stuntmen that did the hard work in his movie. He constantly mingles with commoners and is genuinely modest to everyone right down to the homeless, giving up his seat on the subway to women and elderly, giving any kid an autograph, helping people along the road when their car breaks down, etc. He does not carry himself in any way that would indicate that he thinks he is better than anyone. And when anyone asks to have their picture taken with him, he always complies and at the same time, never touches a woman while they get their selfie. He puts his hand in his pocket rather than around their waist and doesn't ever want them to feel belittled, etc. He's smart enough to know that people don't want to hear his political opinions or opinions on anything for that matter and is known for listening, not talking and takes a genuine interest in other people. On top of that, his ridiculous amount of charity works was kept a secret for over 18 years until someone from the inside broke the news for which Keanu did NOT want it known. Just a really, really good person. Google him - he's a person that breaks the mold for how actors should be. He will never ever be caught with a smug look on his face because he thinks he better than someone

Jolly

Awesome post and one of the actors I too thought of when discussing this. 


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[PSUBeirut]

Sorry, just wanted to chime in real quick- there is no way this was staged.  And it was a ridiculous look that just minutes later the man was able to go up and get applause for winning best actor. 

It also proves that groupthink happens everywhere- to every spectrum of human- the left-wing groupthink on display last night is just as disappointing as the right-wing groupthink so many of those same folks have railed against for years.

[LennG]

I am also late to this, but, I watched the entire thing and rewatched it just after it happened. (you know rewind live TV). My first assessment was WOW, but then I never saw any sort of reaction from Rock, and that, to me, was a big-time give-a-way that it simply could not be real. After rewatching it, I am positive the entire thing was staged.
It's not like Smith just walked up there and tapped him on the cheek, he reared back and let him have it, and sorry, there is simply no way Rock wouldn't reach for his face. It is sort of an involuntary reaction. Bump your head, you reach up and check it. There is simply no way he doesn't put his hand up to his face if it were real. It even looked like Rock had a sort of smirk on his face as Smith was walking back.
I told my wife right away, even bad publicity is good publicity and what better way than on a show that is being broadcast all over the world.
Maybe at next year's award, both these guys will be up for acting overboard award.
Plus, I watch this show every year and I have never seen a worse Academy Awards show in all that time. Ladies with their bosoms hanging out, guys with no shirts on, guys with no socks on, even the tribute to those who have passed away was horrible as it was more about the singers and dancers than those who have passed. AND if I never see Wanda Sykes again, my life will be complete.

[DaveBrown74]

We all have our own opinions, but mine continues to be that it was real. Will Smith is getting absolutely skewered today by everyone. I see absolutely no reason why he would agree to participate in something that would clearly cause reputational damage to him and make him look like a really bad guy. That does not ring true to me. He doesn't need publicity as he is already a major movie star. What needed a jolt was the Academy Awards show. Will Smith did not, and if this were fake, he would be the one paying the price. It makes no sense to me that he would agree to do that. I think it was real.

[DaveBrown74]

Will Smith has publicly apologized to Chris Rock (finally).

Here it is on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CbqmaY1p7Pz/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=43979e2d-3c83-401b-a2bc-70d47f0f8c86

Again, I just don't see why he would agree to go through all this just to help the Academy Awards' ratings at his own expenses. He has been lambasted for his behavior and is in major damage control mode. Nobody would sign up for a hoax that puts them in such a bad position.

[MagicRat]

We're all missing the bigger picture here.

Does this mean Will Smith is moving with his auntie and uncle in Bel-Air?

[Slugsy-Narrows]

We're all missing the bigger picture here.

Does this mean Will Smith is moving with his auntie and uncle in Bel-Air?

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[Ed Vette]

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[DaveBrown74]

I actually think the fact that Smith initially laughed, just prior to flipping out, makes this being a planned hoax less likely to be the case, not more likely.

[T200]

I was holding out hope that it was just something coordinated between the two of them that obviously took a turn for the worse. I mean, Will laughed at the joke and it wasn't until Jada looked at him that his tone changed. But even then, it seems that he was reluctant to do anything and was pressured to defend her honor. After the "smack," he couldn't take anything back so he had to go all in and finish the "scene" with his outburst.

It's a bad look all around.

[DaveBrown74]

I was holding out hope that it was just something coordinated between the two of them that obviously took a turn for the worse. I mean, Will laughed at the joke and it wasn't until Jada looked at him that his tone changed. But even then, it seems that he was reluctant to do anything and was pressured to defend her honor. After the "smack," he couldn't take anything back so he had to go all in and finish the "scene" with his outburst.

It's a bad look all around.

Definitely. And it will be an even worse look if the Academy permits him to come back next year. I think he should be banned for a few years, at least. Not a lifetime ban necessarily, because people deserve to be forgiven for most things if they improve, but this was outrageous enough that there is no way he should be coming back for (in my opinion) at least 2-3 years. Sorry, but you don't get to physically assault other human beings just because you don't like a joke. It doesn't work that way. Not in this country at least. In fact most normal people would get jailed or at least sued for that. If he avoids both of those things he should consider himself lucky.