Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars has unequivocally become the story of the year. The actor’s atrocious display of violence has left a stain on what should’ve otherwise been a momentous and joyous occasion.
In the weeks that followed, countless celebrities have begun weighing in with their own opinions on the events that transpired. Now, actor/comedian Ricky Gervais is making his thoughts on the matter known.
After nearly two weeks’ worth of contemplation, the Academy has finally spoken.
On Friday, April 8th, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences handed down their punishment to Will Smith — banning the actor from attending the Oscars for at least the next 10 years.
This punishment comes as a result of Will Smith slapping Chris Rock on live TV, in front of millions of at-home moviegoing fans.
Chris told a joke comparing Jada’s shaved head to that of Demi Moore’s in G.I. Jane .
Out of nowhere, Will then stormed the stage.
He slapped Chris in the mouth. Since then, countless celebrities have been weighing in with their two cents on what transpired at the show.
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This includes comedian and five-time Golden Globes host, Ricky Gervais.
“Hopefully, he’ll only do 6 years with good behaviour ,” Ricky tweeted out to his legion of loyal followers.
Ricky also had a message for all those claiming that Jada’s alopecia is a disability.
“You don’t hit someone over a joke, however bad it is, and it wasn’t bad! That was, like, the tamest joke I would’ve ever told ,” Ricky explained via The Daily Mail.
“Someone said he was joking about her disability. Well, I’m going a bit thin — so I’m disabled.”
Ricky goes on to say “So that means I can park right up next to Tesco’s now. And I’m fat, so that’s a disease, isn’t it ?”
Not surprisingly, several people have been speculating as to what might’ve happened had Ricky told a joke about Jada that night.
“I trended on Twitter. I trended — I wasn’t even there! Nothing to do with me.”
But doesn’t he know by now that when it comes to the Academy Awards and comedy, it will ALWAYS have something to do with him?
“‘Cause people are saying ‘What would Ricky Gervais have said; what would’ve happened to Ricky Gervais ?'”
“Nothing would’ve happened to me, because I wouldn’t have told a joke about his wife’s hair — I’d have told a joke about her boyfriend.”
Ricky is of course making reference to Jada’s ” entanglement ” with rapper August Alsina, wherein she wound up cheating on Will.
In the wake of Will’s punishment, the Academy also saw fit to release a full statement on the matter.
“During our telecast, we did not adequately address the situation in the room. For this, we are sorry ,” the statement began.
The representative for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences went on to say how they were unprepared to handle such an unprecedented moment.
“This action we are taking today in response to Will Smith’s behavior is a step toward a larger goal of protecting the safety of our performers and guests and restoring trust in the Academy .”
But not everyone (mostly fans) has full faith in the Academy, considering some of their other Oscar winners.
In light of the Academy’s decision, Will Smith released a short statement of his own via Deadline Hollywood.
Will began by saying that he accepts and respects the decision handed down to him by the Academy.
He apologized for his actions and promised to never allow violence to sway him ever again.
However, throughout this whole ordeal, one question remains unasked — what if Amy Schumer and not Chris Rock had told the joke?
Suffice it to say that a 10-year ban would be deemed highly insufficient.
A slap in the face is deserving of more than just a slap on the wrist, and punishment shouldn’t be contingent upon sex or gender.
The question is: do we ban Will Smith for life?
