27th March 2022, marked the screening of the 94th Academy Awards. It was when the famous pop culture movement made the news. “The greatest night in the history of television,” took place when actor Will Smith slapped the comedian Chris Rock on stage. It all started when Chris Rock joked about Smith’s wife, Jada Smith. A year later, Jada Pinkett has decided to open up about it.

In an interview, Jada revealed how the couple had separated years before Smith slapped Chris Rock. Recalling the slap, Jada had said, “I thought, ‘This is a skit.’” As the news poured in, many from the film industry have shared their views on it. One man, who has worked with both Jada Smith and Chris Rock, has some thoughts to share. Talking about the incident, the famous actor, Tommy Davidson, thinks “fear” can make people do “some things.”

Will Smith slapped out of “fear”?

Former American NFL player Shannon Sharpe is known for many things. But if there’s one thing that fans love about him, it is the fact that his commentary is spectacular. Sharpe released the new episode of his podcast, “Club Shay Shay,” on October 11. The clip of the podcast was released on its Twitter handle. This time, he welcomed Tommy Davidson on the show. As their conversations developed, Sharpe asked him, “Did you reach out to Rock when he went through the episode with Will Smith?” Davidson said, “I did, but he didn’t call me back, though. But he finally called me back. I know what he was going through. So I was like the first thing I was thinking about was his mom…” 

Sharpe also asked him, “But you’re not surprised that he (Will Smith) reacted the way that he did when Chris said what he said?” The actor replied, “No, right. I kinda looked at what he was up against…About what I know about him. You know? I think it was fear. Fear can do some things. When emotions is high, common sense can be all-time low…” Davidson also reflected on the relationship Smith has with his wife, Jada. “If anybody had a camera coming at their house with them and their wife or them as a marriage, they would burn their house down to keep you outta there because something ain’t nobody’s business..,” he said.

Praising Will Smith, he added, “he never gonna stop, he’s always gonna be the best… And to me, he’s a winner!” But that was not all. Davidson also recognized that what Smith had done was wrong. Correcting himself, he said, “I wouldn’t say he was wrong for being fearful. But wrong for busting somebody in the mouth.” As all the views poured in, one thing remains to be analyzed. How did Chris Rock react to getting slapped at the Oscars?

Chris Rock’s selective Outrage

Feud, disputes, and misunderstandings are common in the Hollywood world. But the incident at the Oscars prompts us to consider multiple perspectives before picking a side. As Chris Rock joked about Jada Pinkett’s shaved head, Will Smith couldn’t handle it. Smith slapped him because he wanted Rock to keep his wife’s name “out of your f****** mouth.”

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What Chris Rock did was something unexpected. He neither talked about the incident nor did he wish anyone ill. But a year later, the comedian came out with a Netflix special. “Selective Outrage,” a much-awaited stand-up comedy, was Netflix’s first of its kind show. Rock made sure to talk about the slap in a comedic way. He said, “Anybody that says words hurt, has never been punched in the face!” As the crowd burst into laughter, Rock made sure to address the couple’s relationship. Talking about Jada Smith cheating on her husband, Rock said, “She hurt him way more than he hurt me, okay?”

All this comes under even more speculation since Jada Smith announced that she and Smith had been separated six years before the slapping incident took place. That being said, one can only wish for the incident to never repeat. Especially on a platform where actors are awarded for their work.

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