Of late, I’ve not taken much of an interest in watching the Academy Awards. Granted, because of COVID the last couple of years have been very strained regarding the awards and, for that matter, the release of films.

But last night’s awards… ho boy…

What’s left to say? Will Smith didn’t like Chris Rock’s joke and, frankly, I’m not in Smith’s shoes so I don’t know how badly that joke landed given what his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, has dealt with regarding her alopecea. Then again, there are those that are thinking -because Will Smith was shown laughing at the joke originally- that maybe Jada made some comment and got his goat up.

Chris Rock’s joke, that he couldn’t wait to see Jada in G. I. Jane 2, obviously referenced her baldness, which is in part due to that alopecea and…

…look, again, I’m not in Will Smith’s shoes. I would never condone violence and, it seemed later in the program when Will Smith actually won the freaking Academy Award, he was clearly having second thoughts about his outburst… though in all his blubbering and apologies, he didn’t apologize to, you know, the guy he hit.

I feel for Chris Rock, of course, the victim of the violence. His joke might have been inappropriate and even dumb/insulting, but come on… that’s all it was. A bad joke, I grant you. An insensitive joke, absolutely.

But still.

What should have been a great night for Will Smith, to win the Academy Award, was instead marred by this outburst. No charges were pressed by Chris Rock and, hopefully, the two will make their peace, though reports are the Academy Awards are going to investigate this situation.

I know there’s a sense of “the show must go on,” but perhaps in this case maybe it would have been better to get security there. Not to say Will Smith was capable of doing something worse, but who knows.

What a night.

POSTSCRIPT: Saw this on Reddit… the reactions of various stars…

Ryan Gosling there at the end… man oh man…!