Will Smith/Chris Rock incident: Real or Staged?

[Jolly Blue Giant]

I believe it was real. I think Rock was completely caught off guard and that's why he didn't even begin to protect himself thinking Smith was going to do something that was adlib and funny. I give Rock an awful lot of credit for going on as if it was no big deal.

It's weird because in the land of La La, humor amongst actors is roasting one another - happens all the time, even in country music award shows. Roasting is just part of the whole scene. Rock was simply doing what all actors do when being funny in world of Hollywood stars. Apparently, Rock had no idea that Jada had a disease so it was definitely awkward. I'm sure that if she was offended, her husband might want to look like a hero and stand up for his wife, but all that would have taken is for him to holler "okay Chris...that's enough, keep my wife out of it". Which is how many husbands stand up for their wives (as they should) if they believe she's been insulted. Instead, he went old school - mano a mano, use physical violence and intimidation making a huge awkward scene. And poor Chris didn't even know he was insulting Jada.

The whole thing was just a very ugly moment and I don't think it helped Smith's career one iota and he might have lost a lot of fans.

[DaveBrown74]

I believe it was real. I think Rock was completely caught off guard and that's why he didn't even begin to protect himself thinking Smith was going to do something that was adlib and funny. I give Rock an awful lot of credit for going on as if it was no big deal.

It's weird because in the land of La La, humor amongst actors is roasting one another - happens all the time, even in country music award shows. Roasting is just part of the whole scene. Rock was simply doing what all actors do when being funny in world of Hollywood stars. Apparently, Rock had no idea that Jada had a disease so it was definitely awkward. I'm sure that if she was offended, her husband might want to look like a hero and stand up for his wife, but all that would have taken is for him to holler "okay Chris...that's enough, keep my wife out of it". Which is how many husbands stand up for their wives (as they should) if they believe she's been insulted. Instead, he went old school - mano a mano, use physical violence and intimidation making a huge awkward scene. And poor Chris didn't even know he was insulting Jada.

The whole thing was just a very ugly moment and I don't think it helped Smith's career one iota and he might have lost a lot of fans.

Good take, and I agree across the board.

I would also add that I can't imagine this episode helps Will Smith as far as other actors and directors wanting to work with him on new projects moving forward. If he's this thin-skinned and volatile, why work with him? It's not like he's the only good actor in the world.

And this is not the first time he has shown this side of his personality either.

[LennG]

Look at the snapshots Ed put up. Why does Rock have his hands behind his back, basically allowing Smith full access to him? Rock was doing a monologue and if Smith came up, if I were Rock, I would think he was coming for some sort of playful thing, not to whack him. These guys have to know each other and usually, at the Oscars, everyone is buddies or pretends to be. If it were real, Rock had to have thought Smith was coming up for some air time and some playful thing. So Rock clasps his hands behind his back as he knows Smith is going to whack him, so he can't show anything back.

Why would Smith do something like this, because 15 million people were watching and his name is still being talked about today? PUBLICITY.

[Ed Vette]

Look at the snapshots Ed put up. Why does Rock have his hands behind his back, basically allowing Smith full access to him? Rock was doing a monologue and if Smith came up, if I were Rock, I would think he was coming for some sort of playful thing, not to whack him. These guys have to know each other and usually, at the Oscars, everyone is buddies or pretends to be. If it were real, Rock had to have thought Smith was coming up for some air time and some playful thing. So Rock clasps his hands behind his back as he knows Smith is going to whack him, so he can't show anything back.

Why would Smith do something like this, because 15 million people were watching and his name is still being talked about today? PUBLICITY.

They are good friends and play Basketball together along with Adam Sandler.

[MightyGiants]

Daniel Jeremiah had an interesting take on this.  He figures Smith got caught by his wife laughing at Rock's joke so he had to sort of make things right

[jimmyz]

Of course it was real.  It was also a sickening display of high school virtue signaling herd mentality how much consoling Smith received from his cohort.

I like Chris Rock and I dont think he deserves one bit of blame or a smack across the face.

As for Smith, I feel sorry for him.  I had not known what was going on in their so-called 'open marriage'.  This seems to have nothing to do with Rock or Alopecia and everything to do with Smith and his wife.  His disjointed acceptance speech wreaks of a humiliated, broken, cucked and frustrated man.

[jimmyz]

Daniel Jeremiah had an interesting take on this.  He figures Smith got caught by his wife laughing at Rock's joke so he had to sort of make things right

That's not an "interesting take" so much as an obvious thing any married man would recognize in an instant.

[T200]

Daniel Jeremiah had an interesting take on this.  He figures Smith got caught by his wife laughing at Rock's joke so he had to sort of make things right

I mentioned that above.

I agree with Jimmy, that as a married man, we know the "look" of disapproval when we're doing something she doesn't approve of. 

[MightyGiants]

Kareen Abdul-Jabbar had a different and equally interesting take (I removed one sentence for politics)

Some have romanticized Smith

[EDjohnst1981]

I think some of it was Smith trying to reclaim his masculinity after his wife emasculated him on TV when she spoke of the affair with that very young man.


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[LennG]

[T200]

Kareen Abdul-Jabbar had a different and equally interesting take (I removed one sentence for polics)

Some have romanticized Smith

[Jolly Blue Giant]

There isn't really that thin a line between, "I am woman, hear me roar" and "I am woman...a delicate flower". But I've seen it many times in my life where the strong woman defends herself (and only wants it that way). I've also dated delicate flowers that can be meaner than a snake

[MightyGiants]

The parts I bolded above from KAJ tells me that there are indeed women who not necessarily *need* a man to defend their honor. They WANT it that way. I hate to repeat it but Will was 100% OK with the joke. He had a good laugh. Jada did not. Her look of disapproval is the ONLY reason Will got up. Had she laughed along and brushed it off, this thread would not exist. Now, that's not to say that Jada wanted Will to have a physical altercation but she did want him to check Chris.

Every relationship has its own unique dynamic that makes the relationship work (or not). There are people who feel that if their partner gets jealous, it's symbolic of love. In a healthy relationship, it isn't. But to someone who is broken and hasn't had experience in a healthy emotional relationship, it may very well mean love to them. Will and Jada do not have a traditional relationship. Many Hollywood relationships aren't traditional. Jada is not alone in wanting her man to stand up for her when she feels she's been wronged, offended, or disrespected.

I look at it this way, I seriously doubt one size fits all when you are talking about half the earth's population

[DaveBrown74]

Of course it was real.  It was also a sickening display of high school virtue signaling herd mentality how much consoling Smith received from his cohort.

I like Chris Rock and I dont think he deserves one bit of blame or a smack across the face.

As for Smith, I feel sorry for him.  I had not known what was going on in their so-called 'open marriage'.  This seems to have nothing to do with Rock or Alopecia and everything to do with Smith and his wife.  His disjointed acceptance speech wreaks of a humiliated, broken, cucked and frustrated man.

If they have an open marriage, then presumably that is something they mutually agreed to, and both of them were seeing other people. So given that, I am not sure why Will Smith would feel any more jilted, cuckolded, or humiliated than his wife would. Or why either of them would if they both agreed to it. I am not sure I see any connection between the open marriage and what happened at the Oscars myself, although admittedly I am not privy to the intimate details of their personal life.

Smith is clearly a hot-tempered, volatile person with violent instincts who thinks it's ok to smack someone. It's not the first time he has been caught on camera slapping someone. He also showed no remorse or regret the rest of the night after the incident and only put the apology out there once his PR team and agent got to him and persuaded him to. I disagree that this is publicity that he wants. He looks really bad right now, plus he didn't need any additional publicity as he was awarded best actor by the Academy. That is more publicity than almost any actor gets. Nobody wants to look like the biggest douche bag in America, which is what he looks like right now.