The slap heard ’round the world created a ripple effect whose consequences will be felt for 10 years, if not more. Actor Will Smith shook audiences when he walked onto the Oscars stage and slapped comedian Chris Rock.
The move has left observers divided about whether the confrontation was warranted or Smith overreacted. Others believe the Academy Awards staged the incident to boost ratings.
The Will Smith-Chris Rock incident happened after Rock, who was on stage to present the documentary feature Oscar, compared Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, to the fictional character G.I Jane. The comedian joked that Pinkett Smith’s shaved head made her the perfect fit to play the character, who also buzzed her hair off.
As it turns out, Pinkett Smith has been living with alopecia for years, which she has documented. Rock’s joke didn’t land well with Smith, who walked up on stage and smacked Rock across the face, much to the audience’s surprise.
The comedian later admitted to not knowing about Pinkett Smith’s condition. Smith issued an apology to Rock days later and denounced his behavior as “unacceptable.” Although people called out both parties, some thought the fiasco was staged.
However, AWM cited new evidence that proved the slap was staged for publicity’s sake:
According to a report by Rare, “slow-mo video pretty well shows that Rock was ready for this entire thing.” In the video below, you’ll be able to see Smith’s Oscar slap in slow motion and determine for yourself whether Rock was prepared to take the hit on national television or not.
One image that has been floating around the internet that may or not be real has some people casting doubt on whether or not the Oscar slap was faked. If the doctored image of Chris Rock is to be trusted, it appears that the comedian is wearing a cheek guard that would have helped him absorb the impact of the slap that Smith delivered with his right hand. However, it seems that this image was edited to purposely cause confusion and spark rumors.
Writers for Rare suggest that Smith and Rock might have cooked up the ploy from the beginning.
“But defending his wife against a longtime friend? Nah. These guys are boys.”
But if the incident was indeed faked, who benefited from all the publicity? In truth, the entire movie industry received the benefit because people were finally paying attention to the Oscars after so many years of boycotts and disgruntled viewers.
Meanwhile, most people agree that it was as real as real can be. Smith was simply defending his wife’s honor – it just so happened to occur while the event was being recorded for national television, the outlet noted.
Watch the video below:
