'Not one person got up and said, 'Hold on, we got an out-of-control situation here,'' radio personality said
Article content
Howard Stern thinks Will Smith’s attack on Chris Rock at Sunday night’s Academy Awards is a sign of “great mental illness.”
Advertisement 2
Article content
“The joke, quite frankly, was beneath Chris Rock. It was a throwaway. ‘You look like G.I. Jane,'” Stern said on his long-running SiriusXM Show this week.
Initially observing how Smith seemed to laugh at Rock’s joke, in which he said Will’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, could try out for G.I. Jane II thanks to her shaved head, Stern said the actor’s overreaction showed signs that he might be unwell.
“This is a sign of great mental illness when you can’t control your impulse,” the shock jock said. “He didn’t think twice about what he was about to do. That’s crazy, when you can’t contain yourself like that.”
Stern went on to question why security didn’t get involved and why Smith was allowed to sit casually back in his seat.
“Here’s Hollywood that’s so outraged by every little thing. Not one person got up and said, ‘Hold on, we got an out-of-control situation here,'” he said. “How this guy was allowed to sit there for the rest of the awards, and he’s laughing it up and having a good time with his wife. He just assaulted Chris Rock.”
Advertisement 3
Article content
The radio host then likened Smith, who went on to win the Best Actor Academy Award for playing Venus and Serena Williams’ dad Richard in the biopic King Richard, to former U.S. President Donald Trump.
“Not one person came out, because he’s Will Smith, this is how Trump gets away with s—,” he said. “Will Smith and Trump are the same guy. He decided he’s going to take matters into his own hands.”
Smith, he continued, wouldn’t have dared gotten up if it was a bigger actor that had made the perceived dig.
“If Jason Momoa would have made that joke, he would have sat there in his seat. He would have said, ‘Thank you for acknowledging my wife, Mr. Momoa.”
Stern also wondered why Smith wasn’t charged even though Rock declined to press charges. “We saw it on live TV with our own eyes,” he said.
Advertisement 4
Article content
As seen during the broadcast, Smith slapped Rock after the comedian made a wisecrack about his wife’s bald head in an unscripted joke while presenting the award for Best Documentary.
“Jada, I love ya. G.I. Jane 2, can’t wait to see ya,” he said referencing the 1997 film G.I. Jane in which actress Demi Moore shaved her head.
Pinkett Smith has been open about her battle with alopecia, which causes hair loss and balding. According to a TMZ report, Rock didn’t know she had alopecia when he made the remark.
Cameras flashed on Smith, smiling from his seat at Rock’s dig, while Pinkett Smith rolled her eyes and looked visibly unimpressed.
The next thing viewers and people in the audience saw was Smith storming the stage as he proceeded to smack Rock.
Advertisement 5
Article content
“Oh, wow! Wow! Will Smith just smacked the s— out of me,” Rock said as the audience laughed, thinking it was an act.
Advertisement 6
Article content
But it soon became obvious that it wasn’t a pre-planned gag as Smith raged from his seat. “Keep my wife’s name out of your f—ing mouth,” he screamed repeatedly as the crowd inside the Dolby Theatre went quiet.
“That was the greatest night in the history of television,” a startled Rock said as he tried to get the night back on track.
During his acceptance speech later in the evening, Smith apologized to the Academy and his fellow nominees, but not Rock. But after the Academy announced it was launching a formal review on Monday, the 53-year-old actor was contrite on social media saying he “reacted emotionally.”
Advertisement 7
Article content
Stern wasn’t the only famous face to speak out against Smith after the Oscars slap. Former talk show host Rosie O’Donnell called Smith a “narcissistic madman,” while comedian Kathy Griffin tweeted, “Let me tell you something, it’s a very bad practice to walk up on stage and physically assault a comedian. Now we all have to worry about who wants to be the next Will Smith in comedy clubs and theaters.”
Advertisement 8
Article content
But Tiffany Haddish, who co-starred in 2017’s Girls Trip with Pinkett Smith, defended the Men in Black star.
“That meant the world to me. And maybe the world might not like how it went down, but for me, it was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen because it made me believe that there are still men out there that love and care about their women, their wives,” Haddish told PEOPLE at the Governors Ball following the ceremony.
Former Blue Jays pitcher Marcus Stroman also tweeted his support, writing, “Don’t let anyone talk down to your family.”
Advertisement 9
Article content
With calls for Smith to face some sort of discipline, the actor most likely won’t lose his Oscar, but he could face temporary suspension from the Academy, which means he won’t be eligible for another award next year.
'GREAT MENTAL ILLNESS': Howard Stern compares Will Smith to Trump after Oscars slap - Toronto Sun
Read More
No comments:
Post a Comment