By Lindsay Der
“Keep my wife’s name out your f***ing mouth!” hollers actor Will Smith, having returned to his seat after infamously slapping comedian Chris Rock. Just seconds prior, Smith was televised laughing at a joke Rock had cracked at the expense of Jada Pinkett Smith’s newly bald head, then promptly marching onto the Oscars stage and slapping Rock. This momentous event, expectedly, spawned countless memes, which occupied the screens of most internet users in the weeks following the 2022 Oscars, and created more buzz around the ceremony than the Academy had seen in years. Despite many speculations that the entire affair was staged, Smith’s subsequent resignation from the Academy and ten-year ban from the Oscars ceremonies have effectively put an end to those rumors.
Pinkett Smith’s baldness is a result of her battle with alopecia, which she has fought publicly in these past few years since her diagnosis. Therefore, some internet users saw Smith’s actions as noble protection of his wife’s honor, which was likely how Smith perceived it as well. They argue that Rock’s joke about a disease crossed the accepted line of comedy. On the other hand, many spectators viewed the event as a gross display of hypermasculinity and an unnecessary tendency to resort to violence, citing Smith’s seemingly immediate escalation in anger. They argue that sometimes hurtful ribbing is an integral part of comedy; those who are offended are the fools, not the comedian.
Here’s how I see it:
So, Rock made an offensive joke, which may have been a bit over the line. That’s fine. The “roast” was insensitive but it is seriously doubtful that the comedian had any malicious intent. Soon after, Smith can be seen laughing at the joke. However, that is when both the actor and those viewing the ceremony can see Pinkett Smith’s tight-lipped digestion of the quip at her expense. Seeing his wife’s upset reaction, Smith gets angry on her behalf, which is also fine. Even if he was not initially upset, a husband should be able to stand up for his wife. However, Smith did assault Rock and should face the legal repercussions for that. Yet, in the end, it was just a slap. Rock is surely not traumatized or even injured by the “attack” and, while the resulting memes were funny, in the grand scheme of everything, the slap was really not such a big deal.