A selfish move?
Jim Carrey wishes Will Smith the best – but not for the reason you'd think.
Here's what Jim Carrey said about that shocking Oscars moment.
The altercation between Will Smith and Chris Rock at the 94th Academy Awards has been a
leading headline.
Dubbed the "slap heard around the world," the incident — which seemingly came out
of nowhere — happened following a joke Rock made at Jada Pinkett Smith's expense.
During Rock's bit, in which he was set to present the award for Best Documentary, the
comedian made a joke about Jada's shaved head, likening Jada's haircut to the Demi Moore's
from the 1997 film "G.I.
Jane."
In response to the remark, which was made in jest, Smith stormed the stage and slapped
Rock during the telecast.
The shocking moment left Rock stunned as Smith returned to his seat.
Uncensored video showed Smith further shouting:
"Keep my wife's name out your f—ing mouth!"
Smith, who won the Best Actor Oscar for his role in "King Richard," has since apologized
for his actions in a statement posted to Instagram.
Following Will Smith and Chris Rock's altercation at the Academy Awards, several public figures
have come out in support of the "Seven Pounds" actor.
Smith's former co-star and "Fresh Prince" alum Janet Hubert voiced her support for the
Philadelphia native on social media, saying:
"Yes, there's only so much one can take ... sometimes you have to slap back."
Meanwhile, Tiffany Haddish told People:
"When I saw a Black man stand up for his wife, that meant so much to me."
However, not everyone was pleased with Smith's actions.
Actor Jim Carrey, who has been a pioneer in comedy since the '80s, said during an appearance
on "CBS Mornings" that he felt ill about the praise Smith received following the altercation.
"I was sickened.
I was sickened by the standing ovation.
I felt like Hollywood is just spineless en masse."
Carrey's criticism comes shortly after the Academy condemned Smith's action at the award
ceremony.
The outlet also reports that the Academy's board of governors are slated to meet on March
30 to further discuss the altercation.
Not only was Jim Carrey unhappy with the way his fellow actors reacted to Will Smith's
now infamous slapping incident, but he also made it clear he wasn't thrilled with how
the Academy handled the situation in the immediate aftermath.
He told Gayle King on "CBS Mornings" that he believed "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air"
star should have been escorted from the venue after he stormed the stage, and suggested
that the only reason Chris Rock declined to press charges against his fellow star was
because the process would have caused more drama.
Carrey also claimed that if he were Rock, he would have started a $200 million lawsuit
against Smith because the video of the incident will be around forever.
"You do not have the right to walk up on stage and smack somebody in the face because they
said words."
As we know, Chris Rock has so far declined to press charges over the incident, something
The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed in a statement that did not explicitly mention
Smith or Rock by name.
The police confirmed they were made aware of the altercation, but claimed that, quote,
"the individual involved has declined to file a police report."
That doesn't mean the option isn't still open, though, as the LAPD noted that Rock still
has the opportunity to get them involved in addition to the investigation being held by
the Academy should he change his mind.
There has been plenty of speculation that there could have been more behind the slap
that shocked the world than Will Smith may have let on, and Jim Carrey believes there's
more to the story, saying:
"[The slap] came out of nowhere because Will has something going on inside him that's frustrated.
I wish him the best."
While we don't know if Smith may be struggling with something more in his personal life,
an insider has claimed that there could have been some under the surface tension with Chris
Rock before the altercation started.
Chris Rock also joked about Will and Jada when he hosted the Oscars in 2016, suggesting
that Pinkett Smith boycotting the ceremony was a pointless exercise if she wasn't invited
in the first place.
This isn't Jim Carrey's first involvement in an awards show controversy, either.
After Carrey's candid reaction, a video of Jim Carrey kissing Alicia [uh-LEE-see-uh]
Silverstone without her consent at the 1997 MTV Movie Awards has resurfaced on Twitter.
The moment happened after Carrey also tried to plant a kiss on Will Smith.
Jim Carrey ended his interview by saying that, regardless of what had happened in the past,
the point of the Oscars was to celebrate the achievements of everyone – not make it about
personal drama.
"It was just a selfish moment that cast a pall over the whole thing."
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