While promoting “Sonic the Hedgehog 2,” Carrey told CBS’ Gayle King that he was “sickened” by the response at the 2022 Oscars after Smith slapped presenter Rock after a joke regarding wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s haircut. The actress suffers from alopecia, a hair loss condition. Smith then yelled from his seat to Rock, “Keep my wife’s name out your fucking mouth.” He later went on to win Best Actor for “King Richard.” “I was sickened by the standing ovation [after his win],” Carrey said. “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.” Carrey added that Smith “should’ve been” escorted out of the Oscars ceremony after he slapped Rock. The comedian did not press charges, according to Carrey, because Rock “didn’t want the hassle.” The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences officially condemned Smith’s actions the following day.
“I’d have announced this morning that I was suing Will for $200 million because that video is going to be there forever, it’s going to be ubiquitous,” Carrey continued. “That insult is gonna last a very long time. If you want to yell from the audience and show disapproval or say something on Twitter [that’s fine]. But you do not have the right to walk up on stage and smack somebody in the face because they said words.” Carrey said, “[The slap] came out of nowhere because Will has something going on inside him that’s frustrated. I wish him the best. I have nothing against Will Smith. He’s done great things, but that was not a good moment. It cast a shadow over everyone’s shining moment last night…It was a selfish moment.” Smith later issued a formal apology to Rock, defending his actions by saying, “Jokes at my expense are 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 apologize 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.” Jada Pinkett, meanwhile, posted an Instagram statement that read: “This is a season for healing and I’m here for it.”
“It’s something of a magnitude that I don’t think can be worked out on a public stage,” she says. pic.twitter.com/5qXIq30Y1F — CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) March 29, 2022 Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.
