We’ve watched the slap on YouTube. We’ve seen the memes produced. By now, we all know that Will Smith took it upon himself to get on stage as Chris Rock was making jokes and slap him across the face. We’ve even heard Smith’s apology to Rock, the Academy, and everyone else.
What we haven’t heard is the absolute outrage coming from Hollywood.
Most of the elites in Hollywood would say that silence is a form of violence. They have said it in the past, especially as there have been reports of sexual harassment and more. Those who don’t speak up allow the violence to continue.
Yet, everyone is strangely silent.
Is it because it is Black on Black violence? Is it because Smith has apologized?
It’s hard to say – but the fact that everyone in Hollywood is staying silent on the issue is eerily unsettling.
We haven’t heard from anyone – Debra Messing, Barbra Streisand, Alyssa Milano, or any of the others that are generally fairly mouthy when they see injustice being shown.
Either they agree with Will Smith and feel that he was justified, or no one cares that Chris Rock was slapped. Or – they just don’t want to get in the middle of it.
Even Barack and Michelle Obama have been silent.
“Keep my wife’s name out of your f***ing mouth,” is what Will Smith had to say about what went down after the slap, as he took his seat in the audience. And everyone around him just sat there and gawked at what just went down.
Now, there’s the question of whether Chris Rock deserved what happened. After all, he made a quip about Jada Pinkett Smith’s bald head being perfect for being cast in G.I. Jane. The joke was in poor taste considering that Pinkett Smith has been dealing with alopecia and shaved her head as a way to deal with the drastic hair loss.
Will Smith went on to win an Oscar for King Richard. It’s almost like he got rewarded for his violence.
Oh, but he apologized. That makes it all better – right? “After his apology to everyone, he offered a lengthier apology on Instagram saying, “Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive. My behavior at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable. I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness.”
The apology says all the right words, but the reality is that Will Smith is a grown man. He should have known better than to assault another man because of words being said in a joking manner.
The Academy is investigating the incident, but the fact that most of Hollywood have stayed silent points to another issue. It’s as if they have given Will Smith a pass to commit the violence – but why?
Judd Apatow, a Hollywood director, took it upon himself to rip into Smith on Twitter for the assault. Apparently, though, he didn’t want to commit to his words when he realized no one else was saying anything – and the tweet has been deleted.
Only a few have condemned Will Smith for what happened.
Make no mistake. Apology or not, Will Smith assaulted a fellow actor. Although Chris Rock is not pressing charges, it was still assault.
Will all future assaults on all future members of Hollywood also be ignored by the elite or did Will Smith just win the lottery with everyone? It’s definitely a question that needs to be answered.
