It’s been a slap seen ‘all over the world, and the ramifications from it aren’t over yet.
Will Smith is sorrya day late, for slapping Oscars host Chris Rock during the March 27 Academy Awards telecast.
The Academy is meeting to determine a formal punishment for Smith’s actions, though his chances of losing an Oscar fluctuated between sliver and zero.
Would someone who inspired the #OscarsSoWhite campaign seven years ago stroke a statue of a black superstar? No possibility.
The important thing to remember is why … Why do it Smith erases decades of goodwill with a bad, immature act?
Smith didn’t appreciate one thing Rock did about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, regarding her hair. Rock might not know she shaved her head because of alopecia, a skin condition cause hair loss.
The “Saturday Night Live” aluminium peered into the crowd, saw the bald actress, and connected her dome with Demi Moore’s dome in the 1997 film “GI Jane.”
The irony?
Moore’s shaved appearance was considered a symbol of strength at the time. Variety says the film encapsulates “the foundations of feminism.” Moore is reportedly calling the role her proudest professional achievement.
Pinkett Smith didn’t see it that way, and the look she gave her husband sparked his action.
We all know what happens next.
RELATED: A Shocking, Sudden Violence Disrupts the Oscars
Some comedians are startled by the slap, understanding how much it means to their craft. What if a club attendee in the front row stands the wrong way? Will he or she confront the comic mid-show?
That is a terrible precedent, which Kathy Griffin and others have acknowledged.
“Let me tell you one thing, going on stage and assaulting a comedian is very bad behavior,” Kathy Griffin wrote on Twitter. “Now we all have to worry about who wants to be the next Will Smith in comedy clubs and theatre.” https://t.co/LpOZ1qTt2r
– yumadailynews (@yumadailynews) March 28, 2022
Griffin is right, but that’s not all.
Even if something like The SlapTM never happens again, it will remain on the minds of every person in the comics. And, as a result, how many people would self-censor rather than go for a sharp joke?
The trouble doesn’t end there.
Some Oscar viewers criticized Amy Schumer for insulting Oscar nominee Kirsten Dunst during the TV show. There was a little, and a little bit, that the comic presenter mistook Dunst for the person in the chair. The “Power of the Dog” star’s husband, Jesse Plemons, joined in by appearing disgusted at Schumer’s insult.
Humorously speaking, it’s hardly memorable. Plus, we’ve been watching Dunst on the big screen for about two decades. It’s a good thing to mistake her for someone sitting in the anonymous chair.
Still, some raced to Twitter to share their outrage.
Amy Schumer addresses backlash over chair sitter Kirsten Dunst https://t.co/dRbDik2QSE pic.twitter.com/izvD4BlK7b
– New York Post (@nypost) March 29, 2022
It’s a story not a story, especially compared to SlapGate, but it’s a cultural landmark not to be missed.
To paraphrase a 2015 documentary, “Can we join a joke?“More and more the answer is “no”.
Pinkett Smith barb also caused some op-eds that further dampened comic book impulses. Forbes.com wonders why Black women are often the target of insults in comic booksan absurd premise but part of a growing sentiment in comedy circles.
None of these go down in a vacuum.
We had to go through three Oscars ceremonies without a host because the vetting required to hire a comedian proved overwhelming. The fact that Regina Hall was selected as one of the three co-hosts this year seems as odd as it is outlandish. She’s a shrewd comic book actress when given the right material, but on her resume there’s little to say, “Oscar host!”
The same is true of Sykes and Schumer, Sunday’s co-hosts whose careers peaked a few years ago.
Imagine the comedians who respectfully turned down gigs or, more importantly, who the Oscars feared would do too good a job.
Ricky Gervais scathing tweet would be the Oscars speech if he were the host https://t.co/ml3zTznBR0 pic.twitter.com/J2JRGkze7o
– New York Post (@nypost) March 29, 2022
The comedians were on fire before the first Oscars were presented on Sunday.
Favorite comedian Joe Rogan and Dave Chappelle suffered from vicious Cancel Culture attacks for their material. These are not people who work for the local Yuk Yuk club. They are respectively the largest podcaster and stand-up in the country.
If they were worried about the next joke they told or the information they shared, what did their less successful people think when they wrote their material?
There is even worse news.
SHOCK POLL: Majority of Americans Stand With Will Smith Over Chris Rock In Oscar Brouhaha Slap https://t.co/JcaWJeEWYT
– Mediaite (@Mediaite) March 29, 2022
A new poll shows many Americans sided with Smith, not Rock, on the slap. That means they approved of physically assaulting a comedian who spoke in a slightly silly voice.
It doesn’t matter what penalty, if any, Smith gets when moving forward. Indie comics would be even harder to thrive in that environment.
Oscar’s slap, and the public’s reaction to it, made matters worse.
