Some call it “the slap heard around the world.” Some call it the Will Smith/Chris Rock fiasco. Some call it Oscar drama. I call it complete poppycock. (That’s a word we aren’t using enough!)
So, in case you missed it (and you probably did at least in real time since it happened on that broadcast where people who are paid to pretend they’re something they’re not get up and congratulate each other wearing expensive borrowed clothes and prattle on about how good they all are at playing dress up and… well… acting), Chris Rock was on stage at the Oscars on the 27th and, as comedians do, he was roasting various people in the audience. Well, one of those comments landed on Jada Pinkett Smith and referenced her newly bald head. Now, it’s not evident whether or not Chris knew why Jada’s head was bald or that she is suffering from alopecia. But, nevertheless, his comment didn’t appear to be received well by Jada. But, Will, on the other hand, laughed along with everyone else. It wasn’t one of those “I’m-really-mad-but-I’m-laughing-so-you-see-my-crazy” kind of laughs, but a genuine “this-is-funny” laugh. See? 
That laugh doesn’t say “I’m about to jump up and smack the s#!+ out of Chris Rock.” But then… the camera cuts to Chris on stage, where he stammers for a second about how it was just a joke, then we see Will walking fairly quickly toward Chris. We can’t see his face, but he is approaching Chris in a way that would make most men brace for impact. But Chris doesn’t. He squares his feet, faces Will and maintains eye contact with Will up until the slap hits him… RIGHT in the microphone. Hitting that mic sure did give it a loud, cinematic effect. Right? It’s almost like it was part of the show. For actors. Who are really good at things like cinematic effect.
If you look at Chris’s body language, it seems that he doesn’t appear shocked at all. He doesn’t move backwards to avoid this large mad guy coming at him whose wife he had just insulted. His hands stay by his side, not trying to block any advances or swings. Could be that he was caught completely off guard and thought Will was coming up to whisper in his ear? Hug him? Borrow the stage long enough to shoot back another insult? But it certainly didn’t appear that he was trying to avoid getting smacked. Then will sidles back to his seat, screams at Chris from there a couple time, wins an award and adds an apology (not to Chris, though) in his acceptance speech.
Now, here’s where the conspiracy theorist spoiler alert in me comes out. I’ve got a couple of angles here, so bear with me.
So, we’ve got two actors who really haven’t done a whole heck of a lot career-wise in the last few minutes. (Although I will say the nature show Will did recently was really, really, really good. But not good enough to be on network TV, I guess.) And we have an awards show that people have grown to completely ignore because celebrities have made us all gag with their virtue signaling and misuse of platform. The previous year, the Oscars had the lowest ratings in history. So, nobody was watching this garbage. Most people would have gone on with their lives not knowing the Oscars even happened this year had it not been for that SLAP THAT EVERYBODY’S TALKING ABOUT.
And BAM! Everybody’s relevant again. Will Smith: RELEVANT! Chris Rock: RELEVANT! (And pitied. Eyeroll.) The Oscars: Back on the MAP! So, that’s one purpose this fiasco served.
The other is a little deeper. Let’s dive right in. When was the last time there was a case of battery in an awards show? 2007. MTV Video Music Awards. Kid Rock and Tommy Lee had a little brawl over Pamela Anderson. Kid Rock threw the first punch, but their little beef had been going on for several years since both of them were married to Pam at some point. (I mean, who hasn’t?)
I’ve got to be the first to say that these situations were pretty similar, down to the last name… Rock. In 2007 it was KID Rock who was the aggressor, and now 15 years later, CHRIS Rock is the victim.
Here’s where I’m gonna make it political. Sorry. It’s what I do.
Just last week, Kid Rock (the guy that hit Tommy Lee) was on Fox News interviewing with Tucker Carlson. He’s a big Trump supporter, conservative, etc. Most of us right wingers just love him because of his outspokenness, this brazen hybrid smart guy/redneck. Conservative political commentators embrace him.
But, the same people who love Kid Rock are lashing out at Will for not being able to control himself at the Oscars. This is going to come back to bite them when the liberals figure out that they’re being a tad bit hypocritical. Hopefully, they’ll never make the connection. I mean, I’m not gonna tell ’em.
So, in conclusion, I think that A. the altercation the other night was a complete publicity stunt. And B. it echoes celebrity beefs in the past. But, we can’t let ourselves get caught up in anything an actor says or does… they’re acting.
One last thing, though:
What did Chris Rock find on his face when he woke up Monday morning?
Fresh Prince.
Get it?
He got in one little fight and his mom got scared…
Okay, but at least I didn’t make a G.I. Jane joke!
In My Humble Opinion 