A new report says the joke made by Chris Rock during Sunday night’s Academy Awards that triggered Will Smith to approach the comedian during the live broadcast and slap him across the face was not scripted.
What Happened: An industry source says "the joke itself was not in the script," according to a report from Entertainment Weekly. The source acknowledged that when it comes to comedians in a live format, “there are always jokes that are not in script.”
The show was telecast on ABC, a unit of the Walt Disney Co. (NYSE:DIS), and attracted 15.4 million viewers, according to data released on Monday by Nielsen.
While on stage presenting the documentary feature award, Rock pointed out that Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, had shaved her head, and compared her to Demi Moore in the 1997 movie “G.I Jane.” Rock made the now-infamous off-the-cuff joke, saying, “Jada, can’t wait for G.I. Jane 2.”
Also Read: Will Smith Slap Inspires New Token And It Rallied 10,000% After Oscars Assault
Apologies & Reactions: The public’s reaction has been split, with some viewing Smith as defending of his wife’s honor, and others calling for his arrest for assault.
The 53-year-old actor offered a public apology to Rock for striking him, saying in part, "Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive … but a joke about Jada's medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally."
His wife suffers from hair loss due to alopecia, which Rock was reportedly unaware of when he made the joke.
Pinkett Smith meanwhile posted a message on her verified Instagram account Tuesday which read, “"This is a season for healing and I'm here for it."
Also on Tuesday, during an interview on "CBS Mornings," Jim Carrey, star of “Dumb and Dumber,” said he was "sickened" to see Smith receiving a standing ovation later in the show.
Carrey said Smith should be arrested and sued: "I’d have announced this morning that I was suing Will for $200 million because that video is going to be there forever, it’s going to be ubiquitous."
Photo: Courtesy of Gordon Correll and Gage Skidmore on Flickr.
