Jim Carrey has said Will Smith "should have" been arrested after hitting comedian Chris Rock at the Oscars. The actor is among the latest in a line of celebrities who have weighed in on the dramatic moment of the awards ceremony, which happened after Rock joked about Jada Pinkett Smith’s bald head, referring to her as “GI Jane”.
Will Smith stormed onstage and hit the comedian in front of a star-studded audience at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, after Rock made a joke about his wife suffering from alopecia. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said it “condemned” the actions of Smith, who later went on to win the Oscar for best actor following the incident at the 94th annual movie awards.
In an interview with American show CBS This Morning on March 29, Carrey expressed his disapproval of how the situation was handled, especially with Smith still winning Best Actor for King Richard shortly after.
Read more: Will Smith issues public apology to Chris Rock for 'unacceptable and inexcusable' Oscars incident
“I was sickened by the standing ovation. Hollywood is just spineless en masse and it really felt like this is a really clear indication that we aren’t the cool club anymore,” said the comic.
The show's host, Gayle King, speculated: “If anyone else had walked from the audience and done that, they would’ve been escorted out by security or maybe even arrested.” To which Carrey interrupted: “He should have been.”
When King addressed Rock’s refusal to press charges, Carrey said: “I would have announced this morning that I was suing Will for $200m because that video is going to be there forever.”
He added: “If you want to yell from the audience and show disapproval or say something on Twitter, you do not have the right to walk up on stage and smack somebody in the face ‘cos they said words.”
King then suggested the incident “escalated”, leading Carrey to interject: “It didn’t escalate, it came out of nowhere because Will has something going on inside him that’s frustrated. I don’t have anything against Will Smith. He’s done great things. But that was not a good moment. It cast a pall over everybody’s shining moment.”
Will Smith has issued a public apology to Chris Rock after the incident. Describing himself as a work in progress, Mr Smith said a a joke about Jada’s medical condition was "too much" for him bear - but that violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive. "There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness," he added.
In an Instagram post issued on Monday afternoon US time - the early hours of Tuesday morning UK time - Mr Smith said: "Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive. My behaviour 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.
"I would like to publicly apologise 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. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness.
"I would also like to apologise to the Academy, the producers of the show, all the attendees and everyone watching around the world. I would like to apologise to the Williams Family and my King Richard Family. I deeply regret that my behaviour has stained what has been an otherwise gorgeous journey for all of us.
"I am a work in progress. Sincerely, Will."
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