In the saga that has been the now-famous Will Smith – Chris Rock Oscars 2022 slap, another actor has entered the ring. Adam Sandler, a long-time friend of Chris Rock, posted a photo in support of Rock and his upcoming gigs on his Instagram. This comes, of course, during a time when Rock is receiving some heat on social media for his joke about Jada Pinkett-Smith.
Adam Sandler Support Chris Rock Amidst Oscars’ Joke Backlash
Since last Sunday night’s 94th Academy Awards show, things have been a bit rocky for Chris Rock. The comedian and actor has received a lot of negative attention online for his ill-placed joke. Not everyone, however, is against him. Friend and fellow comedic actor Adam Sandler recently posted a photo on his Instagram about Rock’s upcoming world tour. He captioned the photo “Can’t wait for this. Love you buddy!”. He made no mention of the Oscars incident but still has shown whose side he is on. (1)
The Incident
By now we have all heard about or seen the clips of what happened when Rock made an unfortunate joke about Jada Pinkett-Smith’s hair. Her husband and actor Will Smith got up on stage and, well, decked Rock a good one. He then proceeded to defend his wife further from his seat. Smith yelled at Rock to keep his wife’s name “out of his f***ing mouth!”.
Since that moment, there has been a lot of discussion on the internet about the situation. While there are some who support Chris Rock and that nothing was mal-intended, many are of the opposite opinion. His joke sparked much debate as to what is and isn’t too far for comedians. What can, can’t, and shouldn’t be joked about. Many people have condemned Rock online. They say that he was out of line for joking about Jada’s hair because he was indirectly making fun of her for a medical condition.
This is why something as simple as Adam Sandler’s post about Rock’s upcoming tour speaks volumes about where he stands in the debate. Sandler has not said anything directly about the incident, but his post shows that despite what happened, he still supports his friend and his career. Chris Rock has yet to make an official statement about what happened, though he has declined to press any charges.
Will Smith slapped Chris Rock live on stage at the #Oscar pic.twitter.com/8h42wFUskt
— menace💰🌍 (@menace__999) March 28, 2022
Will Smith’s Apology
When Will Smith won the academy award for Best Actor for his role in King Richard, he gave an emotional speech on stage where he referenced the incident from earlier in the night. He apologized to the academy, but he didn’t apologize directly to Chris Rock.
After the incident, people took pictures and videos of Smith speaking with his publicist. Also quick to show their support for the actor were Denzel Washington and Bradley Cooper. Smith could be seen for the rest of the night sitting with his wife, publicist, and Washington.
Read: Will Smith Confirmed He And Jada Pinkett Smith Have An Open Relationship And Said She’s “Never Believed In A Conventional Marriage”
The Official Apology To Chris Rock
On Monday evening, however, Will Smith finally issued a formal apology to Rock on his Instagram. In his post, he also apologized again to the academy, as well as to the viewers and audience members. Clearly, he is rather regretful for his lack of ability to control his emotion in the moment.
“Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive. My behavior at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable. Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada’s medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally,” the actor wrote in his post. “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.” (2)
He continued;
“I would also like to apologize to the Academy, the producers of the show, all the attendees and everyone watching around the world. I would like to apologize to the Williams Family and my King Richard Family. I deeply regret that my behavior has stained what has been an otherwise gorgeous journey for all of us,”
The academy has also since spoken out. They released a statement regarding the incident and what they are doing about it currently.
“The Academy condemns the actions of Mr. Smith at last night’s show. We have officially started a formal review around the incident and will explore further action and consequences in accordance with our Bylaws, Standards of Conduct and California law.”
We will now have to wait and see what Chris Rock says about the whole thing as well as what the academy decides to do.
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