I know, everyone is disgusted that Will Smith walked on stage during the Oscars and slapped Chris Rock for making fun of his wife (Jada Pinkett-Smith) and the fact that her head is bald. Especially, when everyone knows that she has been struggling and suffering from alopecia, an autoimmune disease that has caused her to lose large chunks of her hair. This situation has caused stress and anxiety for her and her family. Have you ever lived with someone who has a chronic illness? It affects and is taxing on the entire family. Honestly, in my opinion, even if Chris Rock didn’t know, he should have known better than to make a joke at the expense of a bald woman. My assumption is that if a woman is bald and over 30, it’s probably not on purpose…there’s an underlying condition. Chris Rock chose to make the joke anyway and Will Smith smacked Chris Rock for insulting Jada Pinkett-Smith. I believe in freedom of speech but I also believe there are consequences for our words and actions.
I get it. As a child of abuse, who doesn’t spank and is for stricter gun control, normally, I am anti-violence. Violence is, in most cases, overboard and really cringy and triggering for me. But, I have to say, everything has a time and a place and Chris Rock got what he deserved. Everyone has an inner voice that tries to stop them when they’re about to do something monumentally stupid and he chose to ignore that voice along with his common sense. The result is he got what was coming to him on national television for saying something ignorant and trying to get a laugh at the expense of an unsuspecting Jada Pinkett-Smith and her alopecia. If you look at her face when he made the joke, you can see she wasn’t pleased.
Will Smith Smacked Jada Pinkett-Smith’s name out of Chris Rock’s mouth
Yes, Chris Rock is a comedian and they’re known for making witty, often offensive, commentary on audience members and life in general. Maybe it would have been different if this was the Jada Pinkett-Smith roast or she came to a Chris Rock stand-up show but she was minding her business, attending a red-carpet event at the Oscars.
Most of the time, comedians cracking on the audience is hilarious. I’m not a prude. I can laugh at funny situations and, on most days, I can laugh at myself but if someone came for me by getting laughs at the expense of my health and/or mental health, I think that is going too far. Who knows, on the right day, I might slap them myself. My 6’5” Big Guy has been known to verbally shut down anyone who has ever come for me but if someone were to do it on national television, who knows, my usually gentle giant could definitely be moved to slap the taste out of someone’s mouth. And let’s be real honest, Chris Rock really should keep Will Smith’s wife’s name out of his fucking mouth.
Alopecia is a real autoimmune disease that people suffer from that causes patchy bald spots. In patients with alopecia areata, hair follicles release a chemical message that causes the immune system to attack them. This causes the hairs in those follicles to fall out. As long as the immune system is fighting the follicles, new hair will not grow. Oftentimes, those who suffer from alopecia are victimized and bullied which can cause undue anxiety and depression for something beyond their control.
Seriously, is it ok to make fun of people who suffer from Parkinsons or cancer? Do we make jokes about down syndrome children and paranoid schizophrenics for laughs? What’s next, literally kicking puppies and babies to get laughs? Sure, people do make these jokes and worse still and we all laugh or we cringe (depending on our moods) but we all know it’s in poor taste. I’m pretty sure most comedians are smart enough to read the room.
Words have consequences; Will Smith Smacked Jada Pinkett-Smith’s name out of Chris Rock’s mouth
I’ve always loved Will Smith and Chris Rock. But there are jokes at someone else’s expense and then there is going too far. Chris Rock went too far. Some say Will Smith did too. I think Chris Rock took a gamble and lost. He knew there was a chance of getting got when he made Pinkett-Smith the butt of his joke about. I can’t believe he is completely shocked at getting the taste (and Jada Pinkett-Smith’s name) slapped out of his mouth. I hope he’ll remember this the next time he decides to take a shot at someone else’s spouse to their face. Actions always have consequences, good or bad.
I’m sure there are going to be consequences for Will Smith, as well. He could lose the Oscar that he just won. He could be brought up on assault charges. Though according to the LA PD, Chris Rock refused to press charges (because Rock knows he crossed the line). Maybe Rock didn’t realize it at the time, but he certainly knows better now. At the end of the day, Will Smith was just a husband standing up for the woman he loves. I’m not saying violence is always the answer, but sometimes your shitty actions come with shitty consequences and that applies to everyone involved.
What do you think? Do you think it was going too far for Will Smith to slap Jada-Pinkett’s name out of Chris Rock’s mouth? What would you have done if it was your spouse or child? Are you bothered by the violence and the fact that Will Smith smacked Chris Rock for insulting Jada Pinkett-Smith? I can honestly say that if someone came directly for my husband or children who never purposely or intentionally offend others, yeah, I’d smack the shit out of someone too. Making someone feel really shitty when they are already feeling terrible without provocation is a low blow and you get what you get. At the end of the day, maybe it was a skit but the message is loud and clear, don’t come for someone’s family and not expect there to be consequences.
