I'm sorry for Jada Pinkett Smith, having alopecia must be really hard. But this just feels like yet another take on men 'defending' their womenfolk using violence. Which is so fucking old and tedious and shit. If that were me, I'd be utterly fucked off at him. (By 'him' I mean Will Smith though I guess I'd be pretty fucked off at Chris Rock too.)
(Also interesting that initially he laughs along, then he sees his wife rolling her eyes and looking pissed off and it's only then that he heads for the stage.)
Ricky Gervais goes far further usually in his Golden Globes monologues ...
The Smiths’ relationship has been mad tabloid fodder for years. I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of urbanites had missed it due to not clicking on that type of bullshit. But I’ve seen some headlines and I can’t help but think this shit joke was a last straw, even if it wasn’t directed toward their marriage. It’s a fucking nasty mess and has made me really uncomfortable What a world.
If Smith had whacked Gervais, he'd have deserved a medal.
As it is, he should have been arrested on the spot, taken away in handcuffs, and charged with assault.
Will Smith started his career as a rapper, he should have been able to slap Chris Rock with words...
I missed the Bee Gees connection ()….and I just tried to type more but it’s all toxic and shit so I won’tThe last I'd read was that they were in an open marriage type thing a bit like one of the Bee Gees.
Yes. He shouldn't be partying knocking back champagne singing gettin jiggy wit it hours after committing common assault. He should have been cuffed. It's not like there's no footage of the incident.
What? Why?The question Will needed to ask is what would Idris Elba do?
He should be handcuffed for crimes against entertainment! Awful actor.As it is, he should have been arrested on the spot, taken away in handcuffs, and charged with assault.
I won’t hear a word against Independence Day!!!He should be handcuffed for crimes against entertainment! Awful actor.
GI Jane = baldI didn’t get the “joke” or why it’s offensive against someone with alopecia
I didn’t get the “joke” or why it’s offensive against someone with alopecia, but surely if it wasn’t a prearranged stunt then Will Smith has to get in trouble for this? You can’t go assaulting someone on live TV in front of a big audience then just get a free pass from the police.
All you needed there tbhYou can’t go assaulting someone
GI Jane = bald
Oh, got it. Well yeah of course it’s wrong but it should have been Chris Rock getting the public condemnation after the event for going too far, rather than Will Smith making himself the bad guy.He made a reference to the GI Jane movie (in which Demi Moore had a shaved head) while pointing at Jada (asking her how the sequel was going), who has been quite public about her issues with alopecia.
They don't investigate past crimes.Chris Rock didn't press charges. But surely the cops can arrest him anyway?
I don’t really get this American tradition of hiring a comedian to insult the guests at an award ceremony.
I agree with what's been said about men fighting over a woman's 'honour'.
At the same time, there's a part of me that quite liked the idea that 'doing comedy' isn't a free pass and that if you say deeply personal stuff you might not get away with it. That's not an excuse for Smith to exercise his masculinity, just a feeling that if you say something designed to be be hurtful and cross the line, you don't do it in an excuse bubble if you are on a stage. Of course Smith doing this means Rock sort of did get away with it. Far better if someone came to the mic and challenged him. Simple questions like 'why do you think it's okay to come out with stuff like that' would have been far more effective. And of course it should have been up to Pinkett Smith to decide what if anything was said.
Having said all that, Jimmy Carr, Ricky Gervais et al deserve a serious kicking.
He got in one little fight...Can't see what all the fuss is about tbh.
This kind of stuff happens all the time when a couple of guys who are up to no good start making trouble in your neighbourhood.
It also turned what was a shit but throwaway joke into a huge news story. I mean, I don't think most of us would have even been aware the joke had been made and I certainly would have had no idea about Pinkett Smith's alopecia without this nonsense. (Could be Pinkett Smith wants to raise awareness of alopecia for all I know -- and good luck to her if she does -- but his actions feel unhelpful and extremely disempowering in this context.)I agree with what's been said about men fighting over a woman's 'honour'.
At the same time, there's a part of me that quite liked the idea that 'doing comedy' isn't a free pass and that if you say deeply personal stuff you might not get away with it. That's not an excuse for Smith to exercise his masculinity, just a feeling that if you say something designed to be be hurtful and cross the line, you don't do it in an excuse bubble if you are on a stage. Of course Smith doing this means Rock sort of did get away with it. Far better if someone came to the mic and challenged him. Simple questions like 'why do you think it's okay to come out with stuff like that' would have been far more effective. And of course it should have been up to Pinkett Smith to decide what if anything was said.
Having said all that, Jimmy Carr, Ricky Gervais et al deserve a serious kicking.
All this protecting, masculinity bullshit. What an absolute twat.Will Smith's acceptance speech was pretty out there. He seems to think he's on some sort of god-given mission.
"Richard Williams was a fierce defender of his family. In this time in my life, in this moment, I am overwhelmed by what God is calling on me to do and be in this world.
"Making this film, I got to protect Aunjanue Ellis, who is one of the most strongest, most delicate people I’ve ever met. I got to protect Saniyya [Sidney] and Demi [Singleton], the two actresses that play Venus and Serena. I’m being called on in my life to love people. And to protect people and to be a river to my people.
"I know, to do what we do, you gotta be able to take abuse. You gotta be able to have people talk crazy about you. In this business, you gotta be able to have people disrespecting you, and you gotta smile and pretend like that’s OK.
"Denzel [Washington] said to me a few minutes ago, 'At your highest moment, be careful, that’s when the devil comes for you.' I want to be a vessel for love. I want to say thank you to Venus and Serena … and the entire Williams family for entrusting me with your story.
"That’s what I want to do. I want to be an ambassador of that kind of love and care and concern. I want to apologize to the Academy, I want to apologize to all my fellow nominees. This is a beautiful moment and I’m not crying for winning an award.
"It’s not about winning an award for me; it’s about being able to shine a light on all the people … and the entire cast and crew of King Richard and Venus and Serena and the entire Williams family. Art imitates life. I look like the crazy father, just like they said about Richard Williams! But, love will make you do crazy things."
"To my mother, a lot of this moment is really complicated for me, but to my mother — she didn’t want to come out, she has her knitting friends, she has a knitting crew she’s watching with — being able to love and care for my mother and my family and my wife — I’m taking up too much time — thank you for this honor.
"Thank you for this moment. I thank you on behalf of Richard and Oracene and the entire Williams family. Thank you. I’m hoping the Academy invites me back. Thank you."
A river for your people? fucks sake.
'and my Mom got scared, I said, "Don't be telling jokes about my wife's lack of hair".'He got in one little fight...