Political commentary? The consequences of the Will Smith and Chris Rock drama at the 2022 Oscars have reached the White House.
According to Politico reporter Max Taney, White House communications director Kate Bedingfield, who replaced White House press secretary Jen Psaki during a briefing on Tuesday, March 29, was asked about President Joe Biden’s thoughts on what happened between the Oscar winner, 53, and a graduate of the program “Saturday Night Live”, 57 years old, at a ceremony on Sunday, March 27.
“White House Director of Public Relations Kate Bedingfield said at a press briefing that the White House “has no official comments on the quarrel” between Will Smith and Chris Rock, and says Biden did not watch the Oscar ceremony,” the reporter tweeted Tuesday.
When Rock took to the stage to perform at the 94th Academy Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday, he joked about Jada Pinkett-Smith, comparing her shaved head to Demi Moore’s shaved head in “Soldiers.” Jane. (The 50-year-old Red Table Talk host has alopecia, which she has been openly talking about for years.)
Pinkett Smith rolled her eyes at this remark. While the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air graduate initially seemed to laugh at the comment, his demeanor quickly changed when he took the stage and punched Rock in the face. Smith then yelled at the comedian after returning to his seat in the audience, telling the “Longest Yard” actor to “keep my wife’s name out of your fucking mouth.”
The Men in Black star, who won the Best Actor Award for his starring role in King Richard later that evening and mentioned the quarrel in his acceptance speech, broke his silence on the incident a day later.
“Violence in all its forms is poisonous and destructive. My behavior at yesterday’s Academy Awards ceremony was unacceptable and inexcusable,” Smith wrote on Instagram on Monday, March 28, noting that hearing “a joke about Jada’s health condition was unbearable for me, and I reacted emotionally.”
He continued: “I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I am confused, and my actions did not indicate who I want to be. There is no place for violence in the world of love and kindness.”
In his Instagram post, the actor “In pursuit of Happiness” also apologized to the Academy, the producers of the Oscar, all the spectators of the ceremony and his “King Richard family”, writing that his “behavior … tarnished” the legacy of the project.
Dozens of celebrities supported the scandal, some sided with Rock, and others supported Smith. David Spade and Judd Apatow stood up for the Madagascar voice actor, and Oscar co-host Amy Schumer said on Instagram on Wednesday, March 30, that she felt “traumatized” by the situation.
Former Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star Janet Hubert, for her part, tweeted: “A lot can be endured… sometimes you need to slap in the face. Celebrate the victory… the rest doesn’t matter. Both actions were wrong, but Chris didn’t have to go there.”
