It is said, ‘love makes fools of everyone!’. Academy, a US-based organization, organized an Award-Giving program, Oscars, on the night of Sunday, March 27, 2022. The MC of the program, Chris Rock, an American comedian, during the program commented on Jada Pinkett Smith, the wife of a veteran American actor, Will Smith, which led to an incident that has got everyone talking. Jada happens to suffer from alopecia, a deficiency, that has caused her to lose her hair.
Rock was to present the Best Documentary, where he started with a little bit of comedy, mentioning the names of veterans and creating humour about them. It was probably not the best option to make fun of Jada about her hair loss, as though when he made that funny comment: “I look forward to seeing you in ‘G.I. Jane II’”, referring to the continuity of a 1997 movie, that Demi Moore acted with a kind of hairstyle that was as close to baldness.
He took it as a joke and the whole crowd, but Jada found it funny and laughed. Will Smith initially was laughing too, but when he saw the reaction of his wife towards that comment, he stopped laughing, stoop up, went straight to the stage and slapped Rock straight in the face and returned to his seat. Rock tried to express his displeasure about the slap he received, but Will Smith shut him up and told him to keep his wife’s name from his “fucking” mouth.
Will Smith won the award for Best Actor and during his acceptance speech, in tears, he apologized for the incident that happened between him and Chris Rock. He said sorry to the organizers and all the other awardees and all those present stating that he did that out of love for his wife, thinking he was protecting her, but he has realized that he took the wrong decision and acted wrongfully, as that is not the kind of person he wishes to be.
The incident has caused so much stir in the entertainment world, with people having different opinions about the justification of Will Smith’s act. Academy, however, is assessing the incident and will know whether to punish Will Smith to the extent of taking his award from him and probably, other repercussions that may come after the assessment.
Report by:
Agyemang Francis Hilbrands.