Kareem Abudul-Jabbar wrote a response to Will Smith’s slap on Chris Rock at the 2022 Academy Awards.
Even those who did not see the 2022 Academy Awards ceremony on Sunday, March 27, were made aware of one particular moment through the news or their social media accounts.
Will Smith stormed the stage during the event and smacked Chris Rock when the comedian made a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, before saying twice, “Get my wife’s name out of your f—–g mouth!”
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, a player for the Los Angeles Lakers, wrote a long statement on Substack called “Will Smith Did a Bad, Bad Thing,” in which he said Smith’s smack was bad.
Abdul-Jabbar says “Will Smith inflicted a lot more harm than just to Chris Rock’s face when he raced onto the Oscar stage to strike him for making a joke about his wife’s short hair.”
“He condoned violence, devalued women, ridiculed the entertainment business, and reinforced prejudices about the black community with a single petulant blow.”
The whole blog of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar can be found at the link above.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar wrote a long letter to Chris Rock after Will Smith slapped him at the Oscars
After making a joke about Pinkett Smith’s hair and remarking, “Can’t wait for G.I. Jane 2,” the incident occurred.
Pinkett Smith revealed that she shaved her head because she suffers from alopecia, a condition that causes hair loss. Smith was the first to laugh out loud at the joke. But then he took a step onto the stage and smacked Rock across the face.
In the film King Richard, Smith earned the Best Actor in a Leading Role Oscar later that night for his portrayal of Richard Williams, the father of tennis legends Serena and Venus Williams, in the film.
The academy issued an official statement shortly after the incident, stating that they would investigate the situation.
“The Academy condemns Mr. Smith’s actions during last night’s show,” said the statement, via USA Today.
We have begun a thorough investigation into the incident and will consider additional action and repercussions in accordance with our bylaws, standards of conduct, and California law. “
Smith apologized to Rock in a lengthy letter on his Instagram account on Monday, calling his behavior “unacceptable and reprehensible.”
Rock has decided not to seek charges in connection with the event.
