“[The slap] came out of nowhere because Will has something going on inside him that’s frustrated,” the Canadian actor speculated.
“I was sickened by the standing ovation,” The Mask actor told King, speaking on the members in the audience who stood up and applauded the father of three when he was awarded Best Actor minutes after “slapping the shit out of” the comedian onstage. “I felt like Hollywood is just spineless en masse.”
Will Smith after seeing Jada's reaction to Chris Rock's joke. pic.twitter.com/YefpeGUbw0
— PapaSultana 🐝 (@MclovinTubby) March 28, 2022
During their Monday conversation, King pointed out that anyone other than Smith likely would have been escorted outside of the building, or even arrested after hitting someone else. Carrey feels that the Gemini Mani star “should have been,” but Rock didn’t want the hassle of pressing charges.
“I’d have announced this morning that I was suing Will for $200 million,” the 60-year-old shared. “That video is gonna be there forever. It’s gonna be ubiquitous. You know, that insult is gonna last a very long time.”
Carrey continued, “If you want to yell from the audience and show disapproval or say something on Twitter [that’s fine]. You do not have the right to smack somebody in the face because they said words,” adding that Smith’s decision was “a selfish moment that cast a pall over the whole thing,” as DailyMail notes.
A Will Smith thought, because there just aren't enough of those on Twitter: I genuinely do not understand "Take away his Oscar!" He won. It's not as if we found out he somehow won by cheating. And what then, give it to whoever came in second? Memory-wipe everyone? It's silly.
— Mark Harris (@MarkHarrisNYC) March 29, 2022
“[The slap] came out of nowhere because Will has something going on inside him that’s frustrated,” the Sonic the Hedgehog star concluded. “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.”