ATLANTA -- I’m sure that you all have seen it by now. Some of you may have watched it live, but I’m guessing that most of you saw the clip afterwards. That moment when Will Smith calmly walked onto the stage at the 2022 Oscars, slapped Chris Rock, and then calmly walked back to his seat.
When I saw the clip, I thought what I’m guessing most people thought when they saw it: That was staged. No way that Will Smith, arguably America’s favorite Black guy, the Grammy-award-winning rapper who chose not to curse in his lyrics because of his grandma, would commit assault on live television in front of millions of viewers over a bad joke. No. Way.
Apparently, yes way. The Fresh Prince smacked Chris Rock because Chris made a joke about the Fresh Prince’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. Jada was sporting a closely shaven head at the awards ceremony. Chris compared Jada’s look to Demi Moore’s in the 1997 movie, “G.I. Jane,” wherein Demi also sported a closely shaven head. “Jada, I love ya, G.I. Jane 2, can’t wait to see it,” Chris said.
Let’s be honest. That wasn’t a very funny joke. Even without any context, I don’t think anyone would call that joke a knee-slapper. Chris Rock certainly has done better. But here, context is very important.
Jada Pinkett Smith revealed in 2018 that she was diagnosed with alopecia. Alopecia is a broad term that refers to any form of hair loss. As anyone can imagine, suddenly losing one’s hair — particularly as a woman — can be emotionally trying. Men don’t really need to have hair. There is no shortage of rich and famous bald men (Michael Jordan, Dwayne Johnson, and Jeff Bezos immediately come to mind). You probably know one or two bald men. It doesn’t quite work that way for women. A bald woman stands out. As I sit here, I can’t immediately think of a rich and famous bald woman. I would need Google to help me out. I’m not sure anyone says it explicitly, but I think our society makes it clear to women that they are their hair.
With this context, you can imagine why Jada and Will Smith might be upset about Chris Rock’s joke. Jada’s look that night was not entirely her choice. Her look was driven in part by a medical condition over which she had no control. A condition which has likely caused her humiliation, despair, grief, and sadness. And when she chose to move past those feelings and enter the world confidently in support of her husband, someone onstage chose to point her out and make light of something that, for her and her family, had been so heavy.
To be fair, it has been reported that Chris Rock did not know that Jada had alopecia. Still, I’m not sure that matters from Will and Jada’s perspectives. Even if Chris didn’t know, he didn’t have to make the joke. There’s a lesson here: You never know what people are going through.
To be clear, I’m not justifying Will Smith’s actions. He was wrong. There were a million other things he could have done, including doing nothing. I’m only suggesting that I understand the feeling of anger that triggered Will’s decision to commit assault. And I think most people can understand that, as well.
There have since been a lot of television pundits, celebrities, comedians, and others remarking that Will had no reason to be that upset. Chris made a distasteful joke. Will and Jada have surely heard worse. It’s just words.
That’s true. Will and Jada have both probably heard much worse. What Chris Rock said was, indeed, only words. But words can hurt. We all know and understand that basic truth. A sharp word can cut as deeply as any knife, leaving a wound that lasts much longer and may never quite heal.
Celebrities aren’t exempt from that basic truth. Sure, you would expect their tolerance to be higher given their fame and the constant critique that comes with that. Even still, celebrities remain people like the rest of us. And like the rest of us, they have thoughts, feelings, and insecurities. Having a higher tolerance for pain doesn’t mean that one doesn’t feel pain. It only means that one can endure the feeling of pain longer. Regardless, everyone’s endurance has limits.
Unlike some, I wasn’t outraged or disgusted at Will Smith’s response. I think it’s because life has taught me that you might get smacked if you say the wrong thing to the wrong person. I learned that when a grown man smacked me at the park when I was 12 years old. I had the nerve to tell him that I thought he was terrible at basketball and the team should have picked me up instead of him. Lesson learned. Talk smack. Get smacked.
In my mind, that is what happened at the Oscars. Talk smack. Get smacked. Again, I’m not suggesting that what Will Smith did was right. I’m only saying that, in my mind, getting smacked is always a possible consequence of talking about someone else. The chances of that probability only increase when talking about someone’s significant other. That’s why, as a general rule, you shouldn’t talk about people. Not everyone can take a joke.
Another lesson I learned growing up is that when someone puts their hands on you, you make them wish they didn’t. My mom told me that one. That might seem outrageous to some, but my mom’s position is supported by the law. We all have a right to defend ourselves.
In that vein, Chris Rock had every right to defend himself and respond to Will Smith’s assault with violence. Chris didn’t. I wouldn’t exactly call Chris the good guy in this scenario, but I think that he must be commended for not meeting violence with violence. I think most of us would have understood if he chose to do so. Thankfully, he didn’t.
Some may not see Chris’ inaction that way. I know that Chris is a little guy and Will is much bigger than him. Arguably, it’s an easy decision not to fight with a bigger man. True, but you don’t know what Chris was thinking. Surely, it’s possible that he felt humiliated and embarrassed and then angry after being assaulted. The fact that he didn’t respond angrily, neither in the moment nor in some moment thereafter, should mean something if the overarching idea is that violence is not the answer.
The entire interaction, though it does not disgust me or cause me to be outraged, makes me a bit sad. Few Black people gain enough celebrity and success in Hollywood to be invited to the Oscars. It is rarefied air. And in that air, a Black man chose to crack a joke at a Black woman’s expense, to make a room full of white people laugh. Then, in response, another Black man chose to commit the first assault in Oscars television history.
Will Smith became just the sixth Black actor in the 93-year-history of the Oscars to win in the Best Actor/Actress category. That’s what we should be talking about. Black excellence. Black history. Rarefied air. But the story of this year’s Oscars will forever be synonymous with that single clip. Sad, but understandable.
When my wife saw the clip, she asked me if I would have done the same thing as Will Smith. I told her, “No.” I like to think that I wouldn’t risk my career over a joke made in poor taste. I like to think that I would have kept a level head.
I definitely would have had a discussion with Chris Rock backstage about that joke, though.
Eric Foster, a community member of the editorial board, is a columnist for The Plain Dealer and cleveland.com. Foster is a lawyer in private practice. The views expressed are his own.
To reach Eric Foster: ericfosterpd@gmail.com
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