Jaden Smith, Cardi B, Trevor Noah and More React After Will Smith Slaps Chris Rock at Oscars 2022

Will Smith had celebrities in disbelief after he slapped Chris Rock onstage at the 2022 Oscars. His son Jaden Smith spoke out, along with Maria Shriver, Trevor Noah, Sophia Bush and more.

By Lindsay Weinberg Mar 28, 2022 4:52 AMTags
Watch: Will Smith SLAPS Chris Rock at Oscars 2022

Will Smith's son seems to have his back after that Oscars debacle.

Jaden Smith joined several Hollywood stars, including Cardi B, Trevor Noah and Nicki Minaj, in speaking out after Will slapped Chris Rock onstage at the 2022 Oscars.

"Jada, I love you. G.I. Jane 2, can't wait to see it, all right?" Chris joked on stage about Jada Pinkett Smith, who had a shaved head. "That was a nice one, OK?"

Will then walked on stage, slapped Chris and returned to his seat. He shouted, "Keep my wife's name out of your f--king mouth!"

Will ended up winning the Best Actor Oscar for playing Richard Williams in the movie King Richard and used his speech to apologize for the incident. "I want to apologize to the Academy, I want to apologize to all my fellow nominees," Will said while breaking down. "This is a beautiful moment and I'm not crying for winning an award, it's not about winning an award for me."

The actor later made a comparison to the "crazy father" he played onscreen, before sharing advice he received from Denzel Washington after slapping the comedian. "In this business you gotta have people disrespecting you and you gotta pretend that that's OK," he said. "Denzel said to me a few minutes ago, 'At your highest moment, be careful, that's when the devil comes for you.'"

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See the Winners of the 2022 Oscars

After the unscripted moment went viral on social media, celebs weighed in. They seemed to be just as shocked as viewers at home, with some backing Will and others defending Chris. Read their responses below. 

Jaden Smith: "And That's How We Do It"

Jaden Smith: "My Dads Speech Made Me Cry" 

Alec Baldwin: "I am not reading much about how, or even if, the producers attended to Chris. But I love you, @chrisrock . And I'm sorry the Oscars turned into the Jerry Springer show."

Michael Che: "Im just saying, im frankly disappointed that the academy would just let will smith PHYSICALLY ATTACK a man, onstage, just because he didnt like a joke!... After that childish overreaction, they hand this guy a trophy?!"

Zoe Kravitz: "here's a picture of my dress at the show where we are apparently assaulting people on stage now."

OJ Simpson: "It was unfortunate. I think Will was wrong. Look, I understood the feeling. In my life, I've been through a lot of crap, and I was raising two young kids, and every comedian in the country had an OJ routine, and don't think I wouldn't wanna slap a couple of those guys. But you gotta accept, it's humor. I didn't think that was all that egregious. I thought it was a semi-funny joke."

 

Thomas Haden Church: "I think that Will Smith should be banned from the Oscars for the rest of his life... I think he should have his Academy membership stripped, but I don't think he should have the Oscar taken from him."

Lamar Odom: "He loves his wife. I do not condone violence against anyone... would I have hit him?, NO but he did what a husband is called to do. Protect his wife, from anything and anyone who causes her pain. Had I protected my wife versus mentally, emotionally and spiritually hurting her, I may still be married."

Jim Carrey: "I was sickened by the standing ovation... I felt like Hollywood is just spineless en masse and it really felt like, oh, this is a really clear indication that we're not the cool club anymore... 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. You know, that insult is gonna last a very long time."

 

Adam Sandler: "Can't wait for [Chris Rock's tour]. Love you buddy!"

Tiffany Haddish: "When I saw a Black man stand up for his wife. That meant so much to me…. As a woman, who has been unprotected, for someone to say, 'Keep my wife's name out your mouth, leave my wife alone,' that's what your husband is supposed to do, right? Protect you. And that meant the world to me. And maybe the world might not like how it went down, but for me, it was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen because it made me believe that there are still men out there that love and care about their women, their wives."

Sophia Bush: "Violence isn't ok. Assault is never the answer. Also? This is the 2nd time that Chris has made fun of Jada on the #Oscars stage, & tonight he went after her alopecia. Punching down at someone's auto-immune disease is wrong. Doing so on purpose is cruel. They both need a breather."

Kathy Griffin: "Let me tell you something, it's a very bad practice to walk up on stage and physically assault a Comedian. Now we all have to worry about who wants to be the next Will Smith in comedy clubs and theaters."

Rob Reiner: "Will Smith owes Chris Rock a huge apology. There is no excuse for what he did. He's lucky Chris is not filing assault charges. The excuses he made tonight were bulls--t."

Mia Farrow: "It was just a joke. Jokes are what Chris Rock does. Always has been edgy. This was a mild joke for him. And i love GI Jane."

Nicki Minaj: "I love Chris Rock. I don't think he would've made that joke had he known what Jada recently shared- but between him & the whole team @ the #Oscars you mean to tell me not ONE of y'all heard this woman just share this heartbreaking story? #ComeOnSon … Here's the thing… And this is such an AMAZING - EYE OPENING example of it…  The husband gets a front row seat to his wife's pain… he's the 1 consoling her… drying her tears behind closed doors when those cameras go off. Social media has made ppl feel that these 'husbands' won't ever run into them in real life."

Cardi B: "At your highest moment …be careful that's when the devil tries to come for you."

Jamie Dornan: "What a fight, sorry, Night!"

Cheryl Burke: "I can't stop thinking about what we saw at the Oscars. I don't agree with making fun of a medical condition, but the way Will handled it wasn't ok. As a survivor of abuse, I think a leader of his stature should show kids, esp his own, how to handle conflict with love not fear."

Natasha Rothwell: "Never thought the La La land debacle would ever be eclipsed but here we are."

Trevor Noah: "Wtaf????? That wasn't scripted?????"

Maria Shriver: "We should never get to a place where we sit and watch a movie star hit someone on global television then, moments later, get a standing ovation while talking about love. #WillSmith #Oscars."

Margaret Joseph: "Wow so disappointed in Will Smiths behavior tonight. @chrisrock is a class act he handled himself with true professionalism . Amazing the way he kept it moving#Oscar."

E! News has reached out to reps for Will, Jada and Chris for comment. The Academy has since released a statement saying it "does not condone violence of any form." 

This article was updated on March 29, 2022, at 5:00 p.m. PT with additional reactions.