Chris Rock during the Oscar Academy Awards joked about the medical condition of Jada Pinkett, and her husband, Will Smith frowned at it
Kehinde Okeowo
American singer and actor, Will Smith at the Oscar Academy Awards on Sunday night hit Chris Rock, a fellow actor, who was the anchor of the event after he made a bad joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett.
The host during the event joked about the medical condition of Jada Pinkett, and her husband did not find the joke amusing.
Chris Rock said: “Jada I love you. Can’t wait to see GI Jane.”
Gi Jane is a 1997 American movie where the star actress, Demi Moore, shaved her hair for the role.
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Jada Pinkett suffers from Alopecia, a medical condition that causes hair loss. By referencing GI Jane and screaming Jada Pinkett, Will Smith could not swallow any more bad jokes from his colleague.
When Will Smith was invited to receive his award, he pretended to be cool about the joke until he got on stage. At that point, he gave Chris Rock a punch, walked back to his seat, and screamed: “Keep my wife’s name out of your f**king mouth.”
Moments later, Nicki Minaj reacted on her Twitter page saying she doesn’t think Rock would have made the joke if he knew about Jada’s predicament but blamed the Oscar Award crew for not stopping him.
She wrote, ”I love Chris Rock. I don’t think he would’ve made that joke had he known what Jada recently shared- but between him & the whole team @ the #Oscars you mean to tell me not ONE of y’all heard this woman just share this heartbreaking story?#commons
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the organizers of the event has launched a formal review into Will Smith’s slap of Chris Rock at the Oscars and says it ‘condemns his actions
The organization released a statement on Monday afternoon, after facing backlash over not naming Smith when initially addressing the incident.
The Academy through its spokesperson condemned Will Smith’s action and added that he could face some type of disciplinary action or sanction afterward.
The man in the middle of the storm, Will Smith has now taken to his Instagram page to apologise for hitting Chris Rock on the show.
He stated that his behaviour was out of line even though the anchor joked about sensitive issues about his wife.
He also apologized to Chris Rock, the organisers of the award, his family, and all those whom his action affected one way or the other.
“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.
“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.
“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.
“I am a work in progress,” he said.
