ollowing Will Smith and Chris Rock’s Oscars 2022 drama, Martin Luther King Jr’s daughter – Bernice King – offered her two cents on the situation on Twitter.
Will Smith’s infamous Oscars slap will probably go down as one of the most memorable moments in award show, no, TV history.
After Chris Rock likened Jada Pinkett Smith to G.I Jane due to her buzz cut – a result of alopecia – Will stormed the stage and slapped the comedian.
Chris has not filed a report, according to LAPD, and Will has since publicly apologised for his actions.
Social media was dominated by discussions over whether the Oscar winner’s behaviour was acceptable and some are claiming that he has painted the Black community in a negative light.
WHAT DID MARTIN LUTHER KING JR’S DAUGHTER SAY ABOUT THE WILL SMITH’S OSCARS FIASCO?
Bernice King, MLK’s youngest daughter, spoke out about the viral slap. She hit back at the criticism claiming that Will Smith’s behaviour was disappointing and according to one user, reinforced the incorrect perception of the Black community.
Roger Ross Williams, a Black member of the Academy’s board of governors, reportedly told The Hollywood Reporter: “It reinforces stereotypes about Black people, and it just hurts me to my core. Work it out someplace else, not on the stage.”
“Anybody who thinks ‘Black people look bad’ after the Oscars already thought Black people look bad,” tweeted Bernice. “Respectability doesn’t cure racism. Be Love, but please don’t think that a person who uses one moment to malign a whole group of people did not do so before that moment,” she continued.
The lawyer also analysed The Academy’s tweet:
She said: “‘Condone’ is such an intriguing word, often wreaking of ignorance or arrogance,” asserting that the root issues should be tackled since the violence that people condone could only mean the “the type of violence they’re uncomfortable with.”
Bernice called for educating the youth about violence – not just physical – rather than simply criticising the Oscars situation.
CELEBS REACT TO WILL SMITH’S BEHAVIOUR
You’ve probably seen the hilarious and shocking live expressions from the celebs in the Oscars crowd, but some A-listers took to social media to condemn Will’s actions.
In a now-deleted tweet, director Judd Apatow wrote: “He could have killed him. That’s pure out of control rage and violence. They’ve heard a million jokes about them in the last three decades. They are not freshmen in the world of Hollywood and comedy. He lost his mind.”
Howard Stern took to his radio show and said: “What you saw on TV was a guy with real issues. That’s crazy, that’s crazy when you can’t contain yourself.”
Not every celeb bashed Will though; Jada’s Girls Trip co-star Tiffany Haddish told People: “When I saw a Black man stand up for his wife. That meant so much to me. As a woman, who has been unprotected, for someone to say, ‘Keep my wife’s name out your mouth, leave my wife alone,’ that’s what your husband is supposed to do, right? Protect you.”
What do you think of the situation? Was Will right for defending Jada on-air?
Justin