Like many people on Oscar night, Kenny Rock watched what happened to his brother Chris Rock through a video posted on social media. Prior to viewing it, he thought maybe the scene of actor Will Smith slapping his brother was staged. But when he saw the video and heard Smith cursing, he knew it was real.
“It eats at me watching it over and over again because you’ve seen a loved one being attacked and there’s nothing you can do about it,” Kenny Rock told the Times in an interview. “Every time I’m watching the videos, it’s like a rendition that just keeps going over and over in my head. My brother was no threat to him and you just had no respect for him at that moment. You just belittled him in front of millions of people that watch the show.”
In the wake of the incident, Kenny Rock said he would like the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to take disciplinary action against Smith, including taking away his lead actor Academy Award for his performance in “King Richard,” and bar him from attending future Oscars.
