Jimmy Kimmelis salutingChris Rockfor his composure afterWill Smithstruck the comedian at the 94thAcademy Awardson Sunday.Calling the incident “shocking” on Monday’s episode ofJimmy Kimmel Live, the talk show host, 54, said he believes Rock handled the situation “well,” and admitted that if it were him, he wouldn’t have had the same reaction.At the 2022 Oscars,Smith, 53, walked onto the stage and hit Rock, 57, after the comedian made a joke aboutJada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head. The actress, 50, has previously opened up about heryears-long struggle with alopecia, a condition that causes hair loss.“This was the Hollywood version of your drunk uncle starting a fight, ruining the wedding and then standing up and giving a long toast to the bride and groom,” Kimmel, who has hostedthe Oscarstwice before, joked during his opening monologue. “But Chris Rock, he handled it about as well as you could possibly handle being slapped on stage atthe Oscars. He didn’t even flinch when Will slapped him. I would’ve been crying so hard.“Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Jimmy Kimmel Live/Youtube"A lot of my friends have been texting me, asking, what I would’ve done if I’d been on stage when Will — I would have run, is what I would’ve done,” he quipped. “The second I sawWill Smithget up out of his seat I would’ve been halfway to the Wetzel’s Pretzels, enjoying the samples in front of the store.“Kimmel then pointed out that no one “did anything” to stop the altercation.Getty Images; David Livingston/Getty Images; Al Seib /A.M.P.A.S. via Getty Images"A whole room full of people, no one lifted a finger. Spider-Man was there, Aquaman was there, Catwoman, all sitting on their hands. No one helped Chris Rock,” he said as the audience laughed.The incident occurred Sunday night after the comedian made a joke about Pinkett Smith’s hair, saying: “Jada, I love ya.G.I. Jane 2, can’t wait to see ya.“Rock’s comment was about Pinkett Smith’s hair matchingDemi Moore’s shaved head in the movieG.I. Jane. Pinkett Smith recently opened up about her bald head, revealing it was a result of heryears-long struggle with alopecia. Pinkett Smith was visibly unamused, rolling her eyes from her seat.Seconds later, Smith walked onstage and approached Rock,slapped him in front of the audienceand millions watching at home. Back at his table, Smith shouted to a stunned Rock, “Keep my wife’s name out of your f—ing mouth,” then remained seated with Pinkett Smith at his table for the rest of the night.Chris Rock; Will Smith.Getty (2)When Smith won Best Actor later in the ceremony, he apologized to the Academy and his fellow nomineesbut did not mention Rock. In his tearful speech, he spoke about acting out of love and protection, saying, “Love makes you do crazy things.“Rock has yet to comment publicly on the incident outside of his on-stage reaction. Hedeclined to press charges, and reps for the comedian have not responded to PEOPLE’s request for comment.Monday night, Smith publicly apologized to Rock with a lengthy statement onInstagram.“Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive. My behavior at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable. Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada’s medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally,” Smith began.Want to get the biggest stories from PEOPLE every weekday?Subscribe to our new podcast, PEOPLE Every Day, to get the essential celebrity, entertainment and human interest news stories Monday through Friday.“I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be,” he continued, which was the first time the Oscar winner directly apologized to the man he hit. “There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness.““I would also like to apologize to the Academy, the producers of the show, all the attendees and everyone watching around the world. I would like to apologize to the Williams Family and myKing RichardFamily,” the actor continued. “I deeply regret that my behavior has stained what has been an otherwise gorgeous journey for all of us. I am a work in progress.“Also on Monday, the Academy condemned Smith’s actions, and announced that the organization has “officially started a formal review around the incident and will explore further action and consequences in accordance with our Bylaws, Standards of Conduct and California law.”
Jimmy Kimmelis salutingChris Rockfor his composure afterWill Smithstruck the comedian at the 94thAcademy Awardson Sunday.
Calling the incident “shocking” on Monday’s episode ofJimmy Kimmel Live, the talk show host, 54, said he believes Rock handled the situation “well,” and admitted that if it were him, he wouldn’t have had the same reaction.
At the 2022 Oscars,Smith, 53, walked onto the stage and hit Rock, 57, after the comedian made a joke aboutJada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head. The actress, 50, has previously opened up about heryears-long struggle with alopecia, a condition that causes hair loss.
“This was the Hollywood version of your drunk uncle starting a fight, ruining the wedding and then standing up and giving a long toast to the bride and groom,” Kimmel, who has hostedthe Oscarstwice before, joked during his opening monologue. “But Chris Rock, he handled it about as well as you could possibly handle being slapped on stage atthe Oscars. He didn’t even flinch when Will slapped him. I would’ve been crying so hard.”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Jimmy Kimmel Live/Youtube
“A lot of my friends have been texting me, asking, what I would’ve done if I’d been on stage when Will — I would have run, is what I would’ve done,” he quipped. “The second I sawWill Smithget up out of his seat I would’ve been halfway to the Wetzel’s Pretzels, enjoying the samples in front of the store.”
Kimmel then pointed out that no one “did anything” to stop the altercation.
Getty Images; David Livingston/Getty Images; Al Seib /A.M.P.A.S. via Getty Images
“A whole room full of people, no one lifted a finger. Spider-Man was there, Aquaman was there, Catwoman, all sitting on their hands. No one helped Chris Rock,” he said as the audience laughed.
The incident occurred Sunday night after the comedian made a joke about Pinkett Smith’s hair, saying: “Jada, I love ya.G.I. Jane 2, can’t wait to see ya.”
Rock’s comment was about Pinkett Smith’s hair matchingDemi Moore’s shaved head in the movieG.I. Jane. Pinkett Smith recently opened up about her bald head, revealing it was a result of heryears-long struggle with alopecia. Pinkett Smith was visibly unamused, rolling her eyes from her seat.
Seconds later, Smith walked onstage and approached Rock,slapped him in front of the audienceand millions watching at home. Back at his table, Smith shouted to a stunned Rock, “Keep my wife’s name out of your f—ing mouth,” then remained seated with Pinkett Smith at his table for the rest of the night.
Chris Rock; Will Smith.Getty (2)
When Smith won Best Actor later in the ceremony, he apologized to the Academy and his fellow nomineesbut did not mention Rock. In his tearful speech, he spoke about acting out of love and protection, saying, “Love makes you do crazy things.”
Rock has yet to comment publicly on the incident outside of his on-stage reaction. Hedeclined to press charges, and reps for the comedian have not responded to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Monday night, Smith publicly apologized to Rock with a lengthy statement onInstagram.
“Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive. My behavior at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable. Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada’s medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally,” Smith began.
Want to get the biggest stories from PEOPLE every weekday?Subscribe to our new podcast, PEOPLE Every Day, to get the essential celebrity, entertainment and human interest news stories Monday through Friday.
“I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be,” he continued, which was the first time the Oscar winner directly apologized to the man he hit. “There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness.”
“I would also like to apologize to the Academy, the producers of the show, all the attendees and everyone watching around the world. I would like to apologize to the Williams Family and myKing RichardFamily,” the actor continued. “I deeply regret that my behavior has stained what has been an otherwise gorgeous journey for all of us. I am a work in progress.”
Also on Monday, the Academy condemned Smith’s actions, and announced that the organization has “officially started a formal review around the incident and will explore further action and consequences in accordance with our Bylaws, Standards of Conduct and California law.”
source: people.com
