In the wake of Will Smith’s controversial slapping of Chris Rock during the 94th Academy Awards this past Sunday, many celebrities have made it clear where they stand on the issue. In an interview with CBS’ Gayle King, actor Jim Carrey has come forward to say he was “sickened” by Smith’s actions and how both the audience and Academy reacted to the situation.
“I was sickened by the standing ovation. Hollywood is just spineless en masse and it really felt like this is a really clear indication that we aren’t the cool club anymore,” Carrey said. He went on to say that Smith “should’ve been escorted out” of the ceremony.
Smith was awarded the Oscar for Best Actor just minutes after he slapped Rock for making a joke targeted at Jada Pinkett-Smith comparing her to G.I. Jane, presumably in reference to her shaved head due to her hair-loss condition. Even after his actions, the audience still gave Smith a standing ovation for his win.
Carrey continued to say, “[The slap] came out of nowhere because Will has something going on inside him that’s frustrated. I wish him the best. I have nothing against Will Smith. He’s done great things, but that was not a good moment. It cast a shadow over everyone’s shining moment last night…It was a selfish moment.”
The Academy released an official statement that read: “To be clear, we condemn Mr. Smith’s actions that transpired Sunday night. As outlined in our bylaws, the Academy’s Board of Governors will now make a determination on appropriate action for Mr. Smith. As governed by California law regarding members of nonprofit organizations like the Academy, and set forth in our Standards of Conduct, this must follow an official process that will take a few weeks.”
What exactly the Academy means by “appropriate action” to Smith’s act of violence remains to be seen.
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