The late Gilbert Gottfried never shied away from controversial subjects, so what did he
have to say about #Slapgate?
Keep watching to find out.
On April 12th, 2022, Gilbert Gottfried's family announced that the beloved comedian had died
following a long-term illness.
During the course of a more than 50-year career, Gottfried gained notoriety on shows like "Saturday
Night Live" and "Hollywood Squares."
"I disagree."
"You fool!"
Along the way, Gottfried became well-known in the comedy community as both a stellar
live performer and a hilarious character actor.
The "Aladdin" voice actor began his stand-up career when he was only 15 years old by performing
in comedy clubs in New York City.
It is safe to say that Gottfried had a strong reputation among his peers as a professional
comedian and performer.
So when Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the 2022 Academy Awards for telling a "G.I.
Jane" joke about Will's wife Jada Pinkett Smith, Gottfried certainly had an opinion
on the situation (just like the entirety of the world seemingly did).
Just two weeks before his death, Gottfried showed his support for fellow comedian Chris
Rock during the Will Smith slap controversy.
While some celebrities — like Tiffany Haddish — took Will's side in the argument, Gottfried
took to his Twitter account to stand up for Rock in the public discourse.
Under an old photo of the smiling pair, Gottfried wrote,
"Which is the [worse] crime?
Chris Rock being physically assaulted or Chris Rock telling a joke?"
Chris Rock hasn't addressed Gottfried's tragic death as of the making of this video, but
to be fair, he has been relatively quiet and low key since the Oscars incident.
Rock admitted at his first comedy show after the slap,
"I'm still processing what happened.
So at some point I'll talk about that s--t.
It’ll be serious.
It’ll be funny.
But right now, I’m going to tell some jokes."
Although Rock has been reluctant to talk about the slap, Gottfried was very vocal about his
feelings on the Oscars scuffle before his death, even giving an interview on the subject.
Of course, he even threw in a few on-brand jokes for good measure.
"Wait a second.
Are we to that already?"
Gottfried made it seem like he had a bone to pick with Will Smith when he was interviewed
by the Associated Press shortly after the slap heard around the world, repeating his
initial tweet's take comparing the two so-called "crimes," adding,
"That’s it, pure and simple.
He made a joke."
After Gottfried's death, the Associated Press revealed that in that same interview, the
comic also joked about preparing for the next time he goes on stage.
He quipped that before The Slap, his biggest concern was wearing a mask on stage, adding,
"Now I have to worry about wearing a football helmet."
Although Gottfried made light of the situation, many comics had strong words, saying Rock
has the right to tell jokes without being worried about physical repercussions.
Jim Carrey even told Gayle King that Smith should have been arrested.
Gottfried doubled down on his #TeamChris stance when he ended his statement with a joke directly
addressed to Smith:
"If Will Smith is reading this, dear God, please don't come to my show."
People are still divided about whether Chris Rock's joke at the 2022 Oscars was below the
belt or not, but it wouldn't be surprising if Gilbert Gottfried found it harmless.
The comedian was known for pushing the envelope, after all — and he had grown tired of people
complaining about it.
He told New York Post in March 2021,
"It's as if the whole world is your wife.
You apologize 24 hours a day, whether you did something wrong or not.
[...] I've told bad taste jokes when I'm on stage and I continue to.
So if there was something funny for me to say about COVID, I would say it."
He also made a joke about so-called cancel culture, saying,
"Nowadays, I enjoy watching other people getting in trouble.
I like to sit back, relax and see somebody else being destroyed by the public."
Gottfried appeared to still hold this sentiment shortly before his death, citing a famous
quote by fellow funnyman George Carlin when asked about Smith versus Rock, telling the
AP,
"It's the duty of the comedian to find out where the line is drawn and cross it deliberately."
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