It was the slap heard round the world. Will Smith, marching onto the Oscars stage to strike Chris Rock after the comedian made a joke in bad taste about his wife Jada Pinkett-Smith’s alopecia. Many refused to trust the evidence of their eyes, fervently hoping it was a stunt. If only.
There can be no defending or condoning Smith. You can’t explain away violence. However chivalrous his reasons for defending his wife, it doesn’t justify the smack that shocked the planet. It also seemed out of character, an attack that came without warning. Nothing could have prepared the audience, viewers or even Chris Rock for how quickly things would escalate. Listening to Smith apologise during his acceptance speech only raised more eyebrows, especially when he compared his need to protect his own to the man he played in his Oscar-winning role, Richard Williams, father of tennis stars Serena and Venus. Life imitating art? That doesn’t sit right with me.
