Whoopi Goldberg, Nicki Minaj and other celebs unpack Will Smith’s shocking Oscars slap

Whoopi Goldberg mentioned Will Smith “overreacted.” Nicki Minaj thinks Chris Rock ought to’ve recognized higher. Jameela Jamil mentioned they had been each within the flawed.

By now you’ve seemingly heard that the most important shock on the 2022 Oscars got here when “King Richard” star Smith slapped Rock on dwell TV after the comic made a joke concerning the actor’s spouse, Jada Pinkett Smith.

Rock, who was tapped to announce the award for documentary function, made a punch line out of Pinkett Smith’s bald coiffure, prompting Smith to hurry the stage to confront him. Pinkett Smith has been open about her struggles with alopecia.

Oscar viewers and celebrities took to Twitter after the alternate to name out Smith for being unable to take a joke and condemned the eventual Oscar winner for setting a harmful instance on find out how to react to comedians. Others made mild of the scenario and — as anticipated — crafted memes. Some, together with superstars Cher and Bette Midler, missed the second altogether.

“Let me let you know one thing, it’s a really unhealthy follow to stroll up on stage and bodily assault a Comic,” comedian Kathy Griffin tweeted. “Now all of us have to fret about who needs to be the following Will Smith in comedy golf equipment and theaters.”

“Stand-up comics are very adept at dealing with hecklers. Violent bodily assault… not a lot #UgliestOscarMoment_Ever,” tweeted “Star Wars” actor Mark Hamill.

Some identified that Smith was defending his spouse, whereas others used the event to talk out towards the violence and feedback Black girls and different marginalized of us typically are compelled to endure within the title of “comedy.”

“Many takes on right here about Will Smith and Chris Rock, particularly from folks whose companions should not Black girls (primarily white folks),” tweeted writer Frederick Joseph. “I don’t care if it’s a joke or not, the quantity Black girls need to endure — persons are bored with it. We don’t know what Jada has gone by means of.”

On ABC’s “The View,” which airs on the identical community because the Oscars, moderator Goldberg and her co-hosts tried to unpack the second. An Oscar winner herself for “Ghost” and an Academy governor, Goldberg mentioned she doesn’t consider Smith’s Academy Award will probably be taken away and thinks he simply “snapped” after years of being a butt of jokes.

“I simply assume it was lots of stuff, most likely, constructed up. As a result of 2016, ’17, ’18, ’19, ’20, ’21 introduced lots of jokes [about Smith and Pinkett Smith] — a few of them actually low, a few of them OK. I believe he overreacted,” Goldberg mentioned. “And in 2016 — Chris was additionally the host of the Oscars that yr — and it was humorous. I’d have been somewhat irritated. … However I believe he had a type of moments the place it was similar to, ‘G— it. Simply cease. Simply cease.’ And you bought all of the strain of hoping that you just win and attempting to maintain your face. I get it.”

She continued: “Not all people acts the best way we want them to underneath strain. Some folks simply snap. He snapped. What I do need to say is I believe it’s outstanding and great that Chris Rock didn’t take it to that different place it might have gone. So, I don’t know in the event that they spoke, or if he apologized or not.”

Ana Navarro acknowledged Rock’s joke was “in very poor style” however added that “nothing, nada, cero condones violence on this kind.”

Rapper Nicki Minaj was amongst these in disbelief however mentioned she didn’t assume Rock would have made the joke “had he recognized what Jada not too long ago shared.” Nonetheless, she discovered it onerous to consider that he and “the entire staff @ the #Oscars” had been unaware of Pinkett Smith’s well being battle.

“Right here’s the factor…,” Minaj tweeted. “And that is such an AMAZING – EYE OPENING instance of it … The husband will get a entrance row seat to his spouse’s ache… he’s the 1 consoling her… drying her tears behind closed doorways when these cameras go off. Social media has made ppl really feel that these ‘husbands’ received’t ever run into them in actual life.”

“You simply acquired to witness in actual time what occurs in a person’s soul when he appears to be like over to the lady he loves & sees her holding again tears from a ‘little joke’ at her expense,” she added. “That is what any & each actual man feels in that on the spot. whereas y’all seeing the joke he’s seeing her ache”

“The Good Place” actor Jameela Jamil additionally stood up for Black girls and famous that each Smith and Rock had been within the flawed.

“Chris punched down. Will slapped throughout. Bodily habits just isn’t the one factor to be examined right here. The world politely laughing at a lady who has misplaced her hair, being ridiculed on a world stage … ,” she wrote on Instagram. “Tonight shouldn’t be the beginning of hitting folks over their jokes, nevertheless it must be the top of constructing enjoyable of individuals’s well being points.”

Others remained in Smith’s nook, together with rapper 50 Cent, who made light of the situation by posting a picture of Smith’s tearful acceptance speech and tweeting, “You must win Oscars to do that kinda s—. after i win i’m gonna slap the s— out of some folks. LOL”

See extra reactions to the alternate under.

Occasions employees author Christi Carras contributed to this story.