A definitive list of every take on the Will Smith slap
Image from @markcannatarofilms on Instagram
Chris Rock could have died! It was Will's Illuminati initiation! The whole thing was staged! Let's just all take a breather, shall we?
Culture
Words: Lola Christina Alao
In a world full of constant overexposure to, well, just about everything, it can feel like you have to have an opinion on all the things. When the latest scandal happens, whether it’s a serious socio-political issue or something more lighthearted, we’re inundated with hot takes squeezed into a 280 word tweet, or endless lines of text on an Instagram story too small to read without squinting.
What’s the whole world reacting to this time? The moment when Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at Sunday’s Oscars ceremony, after the stand-up comedian made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s alopecia. “Jada, I love you. G.I. Jane 2, can’t wait to see it,” Rock said, in reference to her shaved head. It was swiftly followed by that now infamous slap, gasps around the room (sorry, globe) and Smith booming, “Keep my wife’s name out of your fucking mouth!”
Online, one slap suddenly became symbolic of all the issues currently happening in the world. Toxic masculinity, Black on Black crime, and even, somehow, a metaphor for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Not forgetting those “it could have killed him!!!!” takes.
If you haven’t heard or seen any of these takes, it’s all good. We’ve compiled a definitive list of every take on the Will Smith slap:
That Jada has “always” been bald so jokes about her are fine and she should just buy a wig
That Will discredited his award for male lead by resorting to violence
That Will’s apology was offensive to victims of spiritual abuse
The slap being compared to Russia invading Ukraine
That Jada emasculated Will in front of millions and that’s why you should never take back a cheating woman
That the slap was Will’s illuminati initiation
That Will is a violently dangerous man who could’ve killed Chris
That if Chris Rock had happened to be the late Betty White, she would have definitely died from the slap
That the slap was an act of Black on Black violence
That the lack of empathy white women have for Jada exposes their misogynoir
That more people in society should get slapped for being rude
That Will should be slapped for the really bad movie that was After Earth
That Will’s reaction is somehow a comparison to Trump inciting violence on a whole subset of people
That Will Smith and Trump are the same type of bad guy
That if Will Smith were white, he would’ve been dragged out of the Dolby Theatre in handcuffs, thrown in jail and cancelled for life
That being compared to G.I Jane is a compliment because she is gorgeous
That all comedians are now in danger from the Will Smiths of the world
What the slap revealed was that nobody in America is safe
That the real hot take is that everyone should’ve been wearing masks at the Oscars
That the whole thing was staged and it looked like Chris was prepared for the slap
That we’ve all been Will Smith at some point and we should be thankful for the Atonement of Jesus Christ that lets us overcome our stupidity!
That Will Smith shouldn’t have apologised first
That Will should be sued for 200 million dollars
That Will should be arrested
That Will should die!
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