Chris Rock DECLINES to press charges against Will Smith!

There is no way he can press charges. His career would be over.

Chris Rock should press charges. Violence was not an acceptable reaction given the circumstances.

What Chris Rock does will be his personal decision but its the Academy that needs to punish Smith for such a disgusting behavior.

Smith was not removed by security after the assault for a reason, and that reason is optics.

This whole mess is a minefield and no one is going to do anything. Arrangements will be made for the two men to make up, there will even be hugging pictures and messages of forgiveness, because there is money at stake.

He will not lose the Oscar. No one will be charged.

The film will now make a lot of money.

Will and Chris will star in a hilarious reboot of "Anger Management".

Jada made Will do it!

R4 is right.

Could you imagine the national meltdown if white man had hit/verbally abused Rock in such a public venue? But one black man being violent against another? Well, that's different, innit? (But it shouldn't be.)

What a zoo the Oscars have become. No wonder their ratings are in the toilet bowl. If the Academy does not act that will be a public endorsement of violence against men and women for this year's show and future shows. Strip Smith of his Oscar and present to the next highest voter getter. Let it be a good lesson for our young people. Stay tuned.

R8, Exactly! Black on black crime - no biggie - moving right along...

R9 - not going to happen. They are afraid of being canceled, boycotted etc. Same reason why Will's ass wasn't escorted out and the fake standing ovation.

[Quote]The film will now make a lot of money.

What film?

Actually, people are less inclined to watch his film now.

He smacked him open handed in the face. Now we are getting comments like "what if there are lasting effects? " "he could have killed him!" Jezuz, people. Get a grip. The guy dissed his wife. He wasnt havin' it. He smacked him and left it at that. He did not "beat his ass".

[Quote]The guy dissed his wife.

Um, the guy's a comedian doing a performance. The usual reaction is to either laugh or not.

Unless we can now take physical action if we are offended by someone's performance. In that case, get behind me.

R14 = Will Smith

So lets just all go around doing just what he did to people who say things we don't like. See how that will turn out. Great example for society. And for the record, those shiny floors are slippery, if Chris would have slipped and hit his head, it could have been a lot more serious.

In fact, lets to a though experiment. Lets say that actually happen and Chris was laid out cold on the floor with blood coming out of his ears. What would you say then? Would they still have given him his award?

This is going the make the future roast of Will Smith's guest list very difficult. Just saying.

[quote]those shiny floors are slippery, if Chris would have slipped and hit his head, it could have been a lot more serious.

We would have had another Bob Saget on our hands. It would be the first live Oscars murder captured on stage and broadcast to the world.

I completely agree with you, R9.

He should have the Oscar taken away from him, and uninvited from future telecasts for a set number of years.

This will set a precedent.

Either you will tolerate violent behavior and give Smith a pass because he's a celebrity, or you won't tolerate it.

Start the petitions now.

He can't get away with this.

You just know Kanye West is taking notes now.

There is no excuse for violence. Ever.

Shit!! I knew I shouldn't have gone to bed last night before the Oscars were over.

Smart move on Chris’s part. Now he’s assured lifelong Victim benefits

Hollywood is such fake, ass-kissing whores. The standing ovation was repulsive. How would they like to get slapped on national TV?

And we wonder why people are punching each other on airplanes?

Chris looked and acted more like a man than the bitch who slapped him.

R19, imo, the reason he's being given a pass is not just that he's a celebrity.

What's with the whole American jurisprudence thing of 'pressing charges'? It's seems like something out of Talmudic or Sharia law, that the victim must accuse the oppressor. We all saw the whole fucking thing on global television - why does the victim have to press charges for the violent criminal to be arrested?

[quote]It's seems like something out of Talmudic or Sharia law

I assume it's an English common law thing. But of course it isn't always true. I mean, a murder victim can't press charges and murder is prosecuted every day.

WORLDSTAR OSCARS

That's how it works in America R27. For the police to move forward, the victim has to agree to press chargers. Because sometimes, they wont. So if you go to trial, it's like telling the judge and jury the victim didn't think it was that serious. Of course sometimes the court will go ahead anyways if it's a murder or the cause is really egregious and they think the victim is just afraid.

Basically, the defendant's lawyer will argue, no harm was done because the victim wont even file a complaint and doesn't want to file charges (which is to say, does not want to punish the person who committed the crime)

[quote]the cause is really egregious and they think the victim is just afraid.

Yes (it happened on live television in front of billions of viewers) and yes (of course CR is in fear of his livelihood).

Arrest Will Smith for assault and civil rights violations.

Unfortunately in America, a punch or slap on the face does not get much attention in the eyes of the law. Not when you have people killing each other every day of the week that is.

“Why ruin a man’s life just because he lost control for a second?”

“He wouldn’t have done that if you hadn’t XXX”

“Why are you prolonging this? We’ll be in court for years and he’ll just get a slap on the wrist anyway”

“You’re just going to look vindictive, and you started it, don’t forget”

All the things people say when women want to press charges.

Of course he's not going to press charges, because the altercation was pre-arranged.

Uncensored Will Smith footage as shown on Australian TV:

[quote] He should have the Oscar taken away from him, and uninvited from future telecasts for a set number of years. This will set a precedent.

Precedent was set when they gave Polanski an Oscar long after he admitted to raping a 12-year-old girl in the ass and then ran away to avoid jail time for it.

They kicked him out of the Academy eventually, but they didn't take away his Oscars.

They didn't take away Gig Young's Oscar, either. Look it up before you ask what he did. They gave Kazan an honorary Oscar after he named names to HUAC and ruined Hollywood careers. They happily helped rehabilitate Mel Gibson with Oscar noms and wins.

Anyone who says Smith should have his Oscar taken away is a complete dolt.

And /that/ is what real entitlement and privilege looks like.

This is embarrassing..for Will Smith. Pussy.

I wonder if Will Smith beats Jada?

Watch it in slow motion, it's staged.

Would people have given him a standing ovation if there had been blood? Nothing serious but if he busted Rock's lips or bloodied his nose. Imagine how Rock standing up on stage with a trickle of blood would have looked. Instead Smith just got away with a cheap shot.

Never stop showing the clip of Smith laughing at the joke.

[quote]Precedent was set when they gave Polanski an Oscar long after he admitted to raping a 12-year-old girl

That was 40 years ago, probably everyone involved in that decision back then is dead. And, he didnt fuck her on stage did he?

Far more likely that Jada beats Will, R39.

Considering the physical damage done to Bob Saget for supposedly "falling out of his bed", Chris Rock should definitely sue and charge closeted queer Will Smith for assaulting his tiny lollipop guild head. I doubt Rock will survive very long.

R8 get real. Stop trying to paint this as a racist double standard. What you're really implying is "Will Smith gets to slap another black person, but I can't because I'm white. It's just not fair!".

R10, "No biggie" - Um it's all over the fucking news and Will Smith is being widely condemned right now by other celebs on Twitter and other social media.

Black code: no snitching

. I hate that the next award went to Summer of Soul and overshadowed its win.

I wonder what horrendously ugly, farting gargoyle Whoopi will say on The View about the whole closeted queer debacle?

No R4. He may not be punished by the Academy (he should be) or legally (he absolutely should be) but there is huge damage to his brand and his career whether Hollywood will admit it or not.

Btw, this bullshit about pressing charges is absolutely that: bullshit. Prosecutors have a lot of space about who to charge. Everyone saw this physical assault, and LA prosecutors can absolutely arrest him and jail him. Period. This doesn’t rely on Chris Rock. Smith is not out of legal jeopardy. There will be ramifications for Smith and his creepy family. Big ones.

Somewhere, Quentin Tarantino is furiously taking notes.

@r20, "You just know Kanye West is taking notes now. "

🤣🤣

"... Then I slaps the shit out of Pete Davidson, yelling, "Take my wife's ass out of your mouth"... Got it!"

"I was there when it happened……. It was… awkward. Denzel came over to Will Smith and gave him a stern talking to about his behavior and use of language during the next commercial break”.

R52, is that an actual quote from someone?

I fantasize about Serena Williams slapping Will with her practiced backhand and saying “Keep my daddy’s name out your fucking mouf!”

Probably wouldn’t happen, though.

The Williams bros have more claff than that.

Yeah I think we need to not do too much with this. If Chris Rock declines to file charges, that’s on him. This isn’t a racial issue.

I do think the Academy should take Will’s award back though. And not just because of the slap, but the next scandal an Oscar winner gets into where they might be more inclined to do so. It’s going to look kind of bad if they let this slide and then in a few years try to take somebody’s award away from them.

[quote]I fantasize about Serena Williams slapping Will with her practiced backhand and saying “Keep my daddy’s name out your fucking mouf!”

[quote]Probably wouldn’t happen, though

That would be funny. In a way, the Oscars incident will sort of taint the movie King Richard for years to come and maybe at some point Serena or Venus will realize that a fucking dick Will Smith is and cut ties with him.

Chris Rock would not survive being known as a snitch in the black community.

Nothing to gain for Chris Rock to press charges. Nothing but endless press coverage, drama, endorsements backing off, etc.

Cannot believe I went to sleep before Will Smith hit Chris Rock. In my defence, everything up to that point had been really frigging boring.

I'm no expert but I think it's almost uniquely American R28. I think the Crown in the UK can prosecute for battery without the victim's consent. However if the victim refuses to give evidence the prosecution might not feel the case is strong enough to go to trial.

As the victim you could probably also ask the prosecutors to drop the charge which they might do depending on who else is involved.

Again, I'm not a lawyer but my limited understanding is that prosecutors and the Crown/State have a lot more power and scope in the UK (and most other Western democracies) than the US. It's only in America where stuff like this is left to be sorted out between people rather than the State getting involved. Probably explains the huge rate of violence in the US.

Will Smith's next project: "Waffle House z The Movie!"

R53 Yes, I grabbed it from Twitter.

r62, I searched for it on Twitter and didn't find it. Can't you link it?

Rich Hoodrats. Appalling.

People....this whole event was staged for publicity. That wasn't even a real punch it was a slap that didn't connect.

[quote]He should have the Oscar taken away from him, and uninvited from future telecasts for a set number of years.

This is too much of a powder keg right now.

Even ignoring the racial issues (which Jada and Will have been at the forefront of) the academy has faced over the years, you add into the fact that Jada is a woman who does have an autoimmune disease and that's why she's bald.

Chris didn't press charges so that's the end of that leg.

If the academy does something, it won't be anytime soon. They'll wait until things die down then at the least issue a firm admonishment.

They have to hire that bald guy from Maury

My response was that of R65. This is pro wrestling. BTW I still don't know what won best picture or any of the other awards, and I think it's just as well that I've basically aged out of the whole mass media circus in the last 10 years.

Men In Black Bitchslap

Cue the wave of op-ed pieces on NYT, etc: "We need to talk about the power of cruel jokes" etc.

The next Oscars needs to be hosted by John Waters.

What's the verdict here? Was this real or staged?

Chris Rock will make jokes about this and will be fine. Will Smith really hurt his nice guy brand.

Chris should just sue the Academy for millions. They failed to protect him from harm on that stage and cased pain and humiliation.

NO this wasn't staged. Rock was legitimately confused and even misspoke briefly afterwards, then course corrected. Will Smith should be ashamed of himself and he has tarnished this show forever.

[quote]The guy dissed his wife.

By that standard Joan Rivers would have been hung from a scaffold sometime in the 90s.

Is it really true that it needs a victim to press charges for an assault case to proceed in the US? How could a system work like that?

Chris Rock will open with a Will Smith bit for his next HBO or whatever streaming special. He will make hay out of it.

This is perfect excuse for the Academy to change the format next year so as to avoid the awkwardness of having Will Smith present to Best Actress. The man was unhinged. What a fucking embarrassment. I predict it will be handled quietly but decisively.

I never thought DataLounge would be such pearl clutches over someone getting slapped.

I read every post with Nathan Lane’s voice from Birdcage in my head.

It wasn’t right what he did but it was a slap.

You guys act like it was murder.

78 posts and no one has connected the 53-year-old Will Smith's hyperbolic public display of alpha gallantry to his Scientologist leanings?

That's true R79. Doesn't DL instruct people to punch and delete? Now when someone actually does it and they clutch pearls tightly.

OK thank you R75. It was hard to tell if this was real.

Not staged where Chris Rock was concerned. But Will Smith was certainly thinking of the press.

BLM Bald Lives Matter

CODA Children Of Deplorable Adults

This is the kind of shit people were afraid Kanye would pull at the Grammys.

He has six months to file.

[QUOTE] He has six months to file.

The waiting is the hardest part.

And not one security rushed the stage when they saw angry Will approaching or after the slap. Well done!

R66 The Smiths are Kardashian-adjacent. They don’t have enough sense to shut their mouths about their personal business, embarrassing themselves for the sake of publicity. They are an embarrassment to intelligent black people because they perpetuate black trash stereotypes. And lets not pretend Jada has not voluntarily worn a bald hairdo since the 90s. She knows she looks gorgeous in it but yes, continue to do cartwheels in order not to hold grown people accountable for their actions. I am done excusing trash. We are forced to live in an era where it reigns supreme and I’m tired.

Videos have been posted of Will slapping a reporter too so lets not pretend this came from the nobility of protecting his wife.

What kind of security do they have there? It seems like nothing was done.

Or is because it is all celebs and other "high end" people at these things that it is assumed nothing bad can happen?!!?

It’s not staged. Chris was obviously shocked

Who in the end will get the best insight into it? Variety? Vanity Fair?

The worst "optics" of a situation like that would be an image of Will Smith, newly minted "Best Actor," being hauled off in handcuffs from the Academy Awards. It would have backfired spectacularly, giving rise to an anguished debate on overpolicing, and how black men are not even safe from arrest on the stage of the Dolby Theatre with Oscar in hand. The Academy would be called out as a bunch of Karens.

Better to be hands-off, let people's discomfort with the situation speak for itself, and for Will Smith's career to quietly implode and become a quickly forgotten self-parody.

No actor would have been hauled off in handcuffs.

You guys are such queens.

Slaps, even punches usually don’t end up with handcuffs. Usually when someone gets hit or there’s a fight and there’s police involved, it gets broken up and the victim has to go downtown and file a police report to make a charge.

You guys act like he stabbed him.

[quote] You just know Kanye West is taking notes now.

If there is no negative consequence for Smith, someone is going to shoot someone onstage at an awards show. It is a terrible precedent to set, to act as if the behavior was not outrageously wrong, unacceptable, and deserving of punishment.

[quote] If there is no negative consequence for Smith, someone is going to shoot someone onstage at an awards show.

Mary!

Like I said, reading all of these comments in Nathan Lane’s voice works because you guys are so over the top.

Someone’s going to shoot an actor cause Will Smith slapped Chris Rock! He could have been killed! MARY!

[quote]If there is no negative consequence for Smith, someone is going to shoot someone onstage at an awards show.

This is getting ridiculous.

Security should have dragged him out after he got up and was moving toward Chris Rock.

[quote] I never thought DataLounge would be such pearl clutches over someone getting slapped.

I seem to recall Bonnie Franklin, in a fit of rage, slapping people at the Emmy Awards when she didn't win Best Actress in a Comedy Series.

If Security had dragged Smith out, it would have been spun as a racial bias/overpolicing type of incident. It would have handed Smith a victim card to play endlessly.

Will Smith made the Oscars look like a trashy ghetto barbecue. I just don't think the Academy relishes being dragged down by that kind of drama. It'll be lucky if it's only Will Smith's career that suffers because of this, if you catch my drift.

Chris Rock will be mining this incident of comedy gold for years to come.

Smartest thing he did was let it roll off his chin and do his job.

Can't wait to hear Rock excoriate The Smiths... and Denzel.

I didn’t watch so I don’t understand why he would include Denzel?

All of these people except for Rock take themselves beyond seriously. "Stigmata" - Kathy Griffin

Because no "assault" occurred . It was a scripted stunt slap. Rock was never touched by Smith.

Sure, Jan.

C'mon the most shocking part of the evening was The Oscars paying tribute to "White Men Can't Jump"!!!!!!

Chris Rock is Gen-X . so his movie reference probably did sail over a lot of the younger generation's heads. Smith's slap landed squarely.

[quote]Can't wait to hear Rock excoriate The Smiths

Please leave me out of this.

Meanwhile, Whoopi states that everyone makes mistakes? criminal assault is a mistake who knew!...

and then you have actual video during the commercial break, of denzel and others coming up to COMFORT SMITH NOT chris rock! just right there tells you how bizarro world upside down hollywood mindset thinking is! "hmm, who makes more money for our industry and who do we need to kiss ass to in case we need publicity or want to work with him, etc"... bet it all on smith not chris rock...

R106 Sure, Jada!

He didn’t press charges because they agreed ahead of time he wouldn’t.

Denzel is humorless too.

Denzel apparently chewed him out, he didn't comfort him.

Does Will not realize he turned himself AND his beloved cuck queen Jada into punchlines for all time to come?

Hey! Moron who says it was staged! It clearly wasn't. You can SEE and HEAR him make contact. Go away.

It’s ridiculous that anyone thinks CR would press charges. That’s not how they operate in the black community.

Will Smith=Best Smacktor

Short of the Super Bowl and The State of The Union, this event is supposedly viewed as an affair associated with the cream of the crop.

Luxury, jewels, frocks in the thousands, black ties, and the winner of the Best Actor Award is enabled to commit assault and continue with reprehensible vulgarities all while supported by a community of peers.

The Academy states on twitter that they do not condone violence: but they did. They did absolutely ZILCH to address the violence witnessed by millions on live television. The producer of the Oscars tweets garbage afterwards by promoting the whole ordeal.

Will Smith is “comforted” in the aftermath, even though he is the witnessed perpetrator.

The fact that he has ANY support is astounding.

When people are physically attacking fast food workers because they are displeased with their food order, how is this any different than Smith attacking a comedian because he can’t take a joke?

People are now killed routinely in the USA for little to no discernible reason, and the violence observed ON STAGE at the 2022 Oscars is normalized.

People who support this - including Will Smith’s son (“And that’s how we do it”), Scientology, Ghetto-thinking Women (Sienna Miller/Tiffany Haddish), supporters of violence are positively Medieval.

Smith’s enabled performance last night adds fuel to the burning fire of unrestrained violence in the USA: school shootings, subway killings, random acts of unjustified physical assaults throughout the country.

He’s also polarized what should have been a night of celebration for other people.

He’s degraded himself, the 2022 Oscars ceremony, and the #OscarsSoWhite movement.

He’s ghetto.

There are NO excuses for violence. In this setting, NONE.

Whatsoever.

I think it keeps the focus on Will’s insane behavior by not pressing charges actually. It’s not a beef between the two, it’s Will being an unmitigated asshole.

Funny, so when Joy Reid makes a very valid argument about the double standard of how refugees of different colors are treated, she's trippin' and race baiting.

But an incident between two individuals who happen to be black gets turned into DLers upset that a white actor cannot do to Chris Rock what Will Smith did without suffering worse consequences. DLers are upset that a white actor can't assault Chris Rock and survive career-wise because they're white.

But tell me again how there's no racism on here!

There’s lots of racism on DL. Always has been. All the isms are welcome here! Are you new?

[quote]and continue with reprehensible vulgarities

You're on Datalounge!

Do you know how many people said the word "n*gger" in the Will Smith and Oscar threads last night? Do you know how many people are constantly making racist comments or suggesting someone be killed on here? Not "die in a grease fire" but "this ape isn't even human, he committed a violent crime and should be executed" kinds of comments. And yet, you are here regularly, supporting DL and its commenters, also known as your peers.

And still, you're crying, sobbing in grief and horror, because someone said "fuck" on live television! You're on here saying that Will Smith smacking Chris Rock is the same as murder! You're saying violence wasn't normalized before, but it is now!

@r123, There are more trolls on DL who promote racism to divide us then there are actual racists

I’ve seen this a lot with blue-collar straight guys. They have a huge, expletive ridden fistfight and the next day it’s like it never happened.

“The Pursuit of Slappiness”

I went to PRISON for slapping that policeman in Beverly Hills!

I realize now that the person I was responding to in r124 has said a veritable shit-ton of racist comments in a variety of threads about the Oscars last night and this morning, and that they don't have the mental or emotional capacity to understand that complaining about Smith saying "fuck" on live TV while they spout racist junk on DL regularly makes them a hypocrite.

In fact, after reading their comments, I'm completely sure that they believe they're justified, righteous and a good, decent person BECAUSE they say racist things on Datalounge.

DL has been through some rough times in the last few years, but this is a new low. Mediapolis's refusal to fix the broken moderation system, to do even basic word filtering auto-moderation, to ban the worst of the worst of the trolls around here has come at quite a price. I knew a few weeks ago when they wouldn't even ban the Russian propaganda trolls or the guy posting about committing mass murder that we were in trouble, and things have gotten exponentially worse since then.

[quote] And still, you're crying, sobbing in grief and horror, because someone said "fuck" on live television! You're on here saying that Will Smith smacking Chris Rock is the same as murder! You're saying violence wasn't normalized before, but it is now.

Certainly not crying or sobbing, R124, but am stunned that people and others - like yourself - justify violence on a national stage when it’s a HUGE problem in the United States of America.

I don’t give a shit that Will Smith - or Chris Rock - are black. They could be purple, green or blue for all I care. This isn’t about their color; it is about the VIOLENCE that was demonstrated by Will Smith on live television.

The continued defense of this man under the excuse of “Racism” holds no water. If you continue to justify his violent actions, then perhaps look at why you condone violence.

@r126, That's because for some straight dudes beating the crap out of each other is a substitute for fucking the crap out of each other. The afterglow is the same

Will Smith will never live this down.

IMO most of us here make funnier jokes in a single day, than Chris Rock in an entire career.

R131 LOL!! Dude Bros doing manly Dude Bro things. 💪🏾

[quote]What's the verdict here? Was this real or staged?

It was real but we pretend that it's staged to keep Will from being charged.

Look what the Devil ...no...look what love made me do!

Everyone knows I'm a vessel of love.

I said it my self.

Well WS and his bald hag have destroyed any remaining illusions of glamour for this event. Now it is more in the league of WW wrestling.

@r137, This, I feel bad for all the other honorees who thought this night was going to be the high point of their careers only for WS to turn it into a ghetto brawl

R137, like the Met gala, they tried to appeal to the tiktok and urban crowd and lost all its prestige. I’m a young GenXer and I remember when this ceremony and the Vanity Fair party were the hardest thing to get into even for big celebrities. I saw pics of the VF party and it was really trashy looking. The ratings were going to tank either way. They should’ve kept it classy and not pandered.

[quote] This is perfect excuse for the Academy to change the format next year so as to avoid the awkwardness of having Will Smith present to Best Actress

Don’t change the format; just tell him that he can’t present the award, for reasons which are well known to him…

[quote] They should’ve kept it classy and not pandered.

Agree, R139. Even with declining viewership, there is something to be said for dignity and class.....which the Oscars appear to have clearly lost last night.

Oscars 2022 will be remembered for their Best Actor Winner who clearly tipped the Academy and its membership off the edge of the cliff and into the bowels of travesty.

The unrepentant perpetrator stomped - or rather slapped - any dignity and relevance remaining in the Oscars - from civil society.

It’s now on the level of trash street fighting.

...Still no new information on why Muhammed Ali punched Chris Tucker at the Emmys.

Has it already been happening again, r232? Your hysterics are incredible!

The Academy Awards and Will Smith's brand are tarnished. I was okay with him before. Now, all I think about is him slapping and cursing at someone at the Academy Awards. He is in a very different, negative light now and I can't enjoy his acting work the same. Call me a Mary, but I know I am not alone.

That d was for r241

Hats off to R141.

He declined because it was so stunt.

And the stunt troll is back!

R143 and R145 On a scale of 1 to 10, how drunk or high are you?

Jada knew Chris Rock would joke about her. He did it before at the 2016 Oscars. It was her overreaction to the joke that set Will off.

^ Just seeing into the future 😜

Is Kanye re-invited to the Grammys now? Maybe he's being vicariously rehabilitated in the eyes of the culture.

[quote] This, I feel bad for all the other honorees who thought this night was going to be the high point of their careers only for WS to turn it into a ghetto brawl

Smith should apologize to the winners in other categories. He tainted the night for them. It's doubtful he will never apologize to them or Chris Rock.

At the very least, there are probably at least few actors, few directors, writers, etc who are secretly disgusted by Smith and hope they never have to work with him.

What do you mean "press charges"? If the law was broken it hardly needs Chris Rock as a witness, there's recordings plus a few other witnesses.... I'm not North American and even I know how your legal system works better than you OP.

R153 here. I meant to type "ever" instead of "never"

Meanwhile, footage of Smith laughing and dancing away at the after parties... you know so upset, sorry and full of contrition is he!....

laughing at the academy, the audience and the public at home is he....

[quote]Smith should apologize to the winners in other categories.

He did in his speech. He apologized to the Academy and his fellow nominees.

The problem is most people like to assume actors and not only good looking and talented, but also great people. The truth is that's nothing but halo effect, most of them are narcissist and hardly people who deserve to be admired.

And yet we here on DL are obsessed with them, but yes, you are correct R158.

[quote] What do you mean "press charges"? If the law was broken it hardly needs Chris Rock as a witness, there's recordings plus a few other witnesses.... I'm not North American and even I know how your legal system works better than you OP.

I’m not the OP, but maybe not, R154. It is accurate that the LA County prosecutors do not need Chris Rock’s consent to bring charges. Prosecutors do this, albeit reluctantly, when they feel the circumstances warrant it, often in domestic violence cases, but very rarely in this type of a case. Lack of cooperation by the victim makes their job more difficult for obvious reasons. Here, the slap was viewed by millions of people around the world, so it’s not a question of evidentiary proof.

I seriously doubt that the prosecutors would weigh all aspects of this spectacle and — in the exercise of the great discretion that they possess — decide that the best use of the government’s resources would be to bring criminal charges, especially where the victim doesn’t want to pursue them. The trial would be a circus, it would last about a few hours at most, and result in nothing more than a slap on the wrist for Smith. Meanwhile, the government would be dragged for excessive prosecution for doing this.

Smith should face repercussions for his bad behavior, but the criminal court system is probably not the best venue.

"and result in nothing more than a slap on the wrist for Smith. "

If they aimed a little higher up I might be all for it

[quote] The Academy Awards and Will Smith's brand are tarnished. I was okay with him before. Now, all I think about is him slapping and cursing at someone at the Academy Awards. He is in a very different, negative light now and I can't enjoy his acting work the same. Call me a Mary, but I know I am not alone.

You are not alone. His whole brand was affable, wholesome, dignified and drama-free -- a worthy standard-bearer. Last night was hard for those of us who admired him. There was something so sinister and deranged about that act in that venue, and its aftermath, that it is clear he is not who we believed he was before last night.

I saw through his act since he successfully transferred to movies from TV and then marring that crazy bald dyke. I could see the inflated ego being tamed and stuffed underneath his skin.

Quote:. " and result in nothing more than a slap on the wrist for Smith. "

Nooo! Not his dainty wrist!!! 🙀

Chris is the pussy after all. He should file charges. What sense of entitlement does Will have that he can stop a live show and commit assault without fear of consequence. Just like that orange former guy. The rich for the most part seem to feel that they are above the law.

If Chris files charges and there's an open legal case, then maybe he can't talk about the incident in his act.

He's going on tour this summer and you KNOW that is what people are gonna wanna hear about.

^ Yep, Chris is the big winner here, between his dignified response and years of new material for his act, he'll be just fine

Didn't think of it until reading r168 but sales for tix to see Chris Rock on tour are boosted from this.

Hell, I may buy one myself. While a portion of his jokes don't land with me, a lot of them do.

I suppose WS thinks he is Kanye now.

R141 #oscarssoghetto

Has Meryl Streep informed the press that Will Smith was never in her home?

can't Jada defend herself over a joke?

What R168 says.

[QUOTE] The worst "optics" of a situation like that would be an image of Will Smith, newly minted "Best Actor," being hauled off in handcuffs from the Academy Awards. It would have backfired spectacularly, giving rise to an anguished debate on overpolicing, and how black men are not even safe from arrest on the stage of the Dolby Theatre with Oscar in hand. The Academy would be called out as a bunch of Karens.

Agree R94. I can hear Roxane Gay fulminating about it now. We'd never hear the end of it. Thank God it didn't happen.

Someone recently pointed this out to me. I had heard of this documentary years ago, but haven't watched it yet. I'm wondering if this might have some bearing on why Rock is declining to press charges. This could come back to haunt him in light of the joke he made about Jada.

That said, I'm not buying Will Smith's "apology" today, especially considering he was partying it up last night after the show as if he gave no shits about what he did and what a fool he made of himself.

Will Smith will no longer have crossover appeal and will have to settle for, uhhh, niche films.

So Roxanne Gay is condoning assaulting people and even encouraging women to do the assaulting themselves?

Oscars just ripped off my format, have been doing this for years. Where's the screen credit? My people will be contacting your office.

[QUOTE] So Roxanne Gay is condoning assaulting people and even encouraging women to do the assaulting themselves?

Is that what she says in her latest piece?

Can the Academy or Dolby Theater press charges against that black asshole Will Smith?

They are both idiots and I hope this ends both of their undeserved careers

R92 it was staged just like jada alopecia. This debacle just made me realize how gullible the public are to manufactured incidents. Most of you actually believe this nonsense is real while chris and will are probably laughing that they fooled millions of morons. Some of you are now speaking for Chris rock😂😂.

I don’t believe it was staged at all. Why would Will and Chris agree to do something that was humiliating for Chris snd made Will look like he has no self control? How on earth would that benefit either man?

It goes way beyond Will and Chris. This is an Academy Award's image brand problem. What will happen next year?

Academy Awards: We do not condone violence ... but we have folding chairs ready for anyone who wants to smash them against their rival. Just do it in time for the camera capturing how you hug it out afterwards, because we really really really do not condone violence. But if you do want to beat the shit out of someone, you better be an A-List and not some desperate D-List nobody trying to raise his profile, because then we really don't condone violence.

R185 will was laughing it up at the Oscar after party with Jada and probably Chris. While you are bitching about the fake slap like the simpleton you are.

What a surprise that brain dead syphilitic DL morons would believe the fake slap where there wasn't even contact made. If you spend all your time posting on a million Golden Girls threads, means you stupid cunts have zero intelligence or awareness.

You’re so cranky r188. Perhaps you need a break from this board or do you feel too at home with us “brain dead syphilitic DL morons” to leave?

[quote]When people are physically attacking fast food workers because they are displeased with their food order, how is this any different than Smith attacking a comedian because he can’t take a joke?

I'm not seeing enough discussion of the slap in this light.

What we saw last night was the result of 5+ years of the most beyond the pale, boundary-crossing behavior with zero consequences becoming completely normalized in this country. Presidential candidate mocks the disabled publicly and rapes women? No problem, gets elected anyway! Hires family, loots the treasury, sells a journalist to the Saudis for blood money in the USA's name, etc etc etc - no real consequences. Then, people lose their shit over being asked to wear a small piece of fabric on their face to protect themselves and others from a deadly disease. Teenage hostesses at restaurants get beaten and put in the hospital for asking customers to wear the mask, people have screaming shitfits and assault flight attendants on airplanes over it. People desecrated the US capitol building, walking through the halls hunting elected officials like animals, and are getting slapped on the wrist at best. Most will get off scot-free. Bill Cosby got convicted and hauled off to prison, and still ended up getting away with it all. This list goes on and on. People feel a sense of entitlement to do whatever the fuck they want now. Why not?

Never in the history of the Oscars (now in its 94th year, y'all) has anything like this ever occurred. And there are people out there defending this shit, claiming it somehow validates the suffering of black women? This is insane behavior that degrades everyone involved, including those who condone it. We have been warped by the Trump/pandemic years, along with everything and anything being sufficient justification for wild offense. Consequences are becoming rarer and rarer. Our society is in decline. This is one of the symptoms.

R189 You need to start another Golden Girls thread, gramma. We need at least a million every day. Ole cunt.

I'm with you, R190. Excellent post.

R190 Ann Landers has spoken from the grave. Brava, old cunt.

@r188, "What a surprise that brain dead syphilitic DL morons"

Yep, with you front and center 😏

R194 LOL. Of course you repulsive fossils all love the Golden Girls. In ten years I hope all you cretins are extinct.

^ You STILL need more attention? Try Facebook, they love assholes

How young ARE you people who keep saying that society has never been this violent or crass?

Sigh. I guess it's just assholes trying to keep the culture war going.

He should have for physical trauma and emotional distress. Totally unacceptable behavior from Will Smith. Hope he changes his mind

Will had the potential to become a black elder statesman of the movies--like Sidney Poitier and Denzel Washington but that's ALL gone now.

He'll always just be a ghetto boy

Look at the bright side: this is most likely the end for Jaden and Willow’s show biz aspirations. Talk about obscurity…

R62 I’ll try to find it. I cut and pasted it, obviously, because it was a CU screenshot of the original tweet.

[quote] I fantasize about Serena Williams slapping Will with her practiced backhand and saying “Keep my daddy’s name out your fucking mouf!

I realize this is DL and all, but Serena would never say “mouf.” Come on now.

^ If Will Smith ever comes after Serena's cute little rich husband, watch out

R190.. nailed it... heck, how many even have manners anymore! "excuse me", "i'm sorry", "thank you" is so rare nowadays anywhere and everywhere... manners are now "weak" and "old fashioned"...

We are no longer a society where people take personal responsibility. It's now common practice to throw anyone we can find under the bus for our own fuck-ups. Deny responsibility, so you can't be held legally accountable.

[quote]And there are people out there defending this shit, claiming it somehow validates the suffering of black women?

They are out there defending for this reason, and it is total BS, through and through. As if the legitimate suffering of black women is assuaged by this rich idiot's spoiled public temper tantrum, and performance of physical and verbal violence against another black man who only told a bad, tacky joke (and who is a comedian who is hired/paid and expected to often come up with bad tacky jokes).

ITA with r199 - the other night was supposed to be Smith's formal ascension into the pantheon of black elder male statesmen actors and entertainers. Sealed and delivered. Instead it was his gross ejection from it. In 20 seconds he destroyed decades of work and earned goodwill, for the privilege of 'looking tough', performatively, on television. What a mess.

Africa is a big place with 55 'countries'. Although slavery was abolished in America it still flourishes in Africa. All 55 African countries are dangerous and not even the worst criminals consider fleeing there. When slavery was abruptly ended there was no one to harvest crops on the farms in America.

Well, r205, looks like Will back in the club.

I seriously think Chris Rock reconsiders. Seeing his face gets smacked on the news repeatedly must trigger untoward embarrassment and humiliation and cause emotional distress that he will have to live with for the rest of his life

^ Nah, he's fine, too busy counting ticket sales to notice

R209 you seem to be projecting your personal feelings unto chris rock. He is fine and he wasn't even really slapped. You people talk smack all day about Trump supporters but now you guys act like a bunch of snowflakes at a staged slap. Chris Rock dosent care about how you feel about him since he is too busy enjoying the publicity from the staged incident. He is relevant again as a comedian.

^ Nice try, Chris Rock has always been "relevant"

Troll score 1/10 ☹️

R212 not like a completely sold out arena since Sunday. Yes he is still relevant but not like Chapelle level.

[quote] You people talk smack all day about Trump supporters but now you guys act like a bunch of snowflakes

Imagine if some liberal progressive got on stage and slapped Trump? Even now, after his fall from grace, 2 impeachments, criminal investigations is there any doubt that guy who slapped him would be in jail right now? Assuming secret service was not involved?

Trump is the biggest pussy snowflake of them all.

^ There was a time when someone got up on stage at one of his Klan rallies, he was quickly subdued by secret service. Then Trump bragged that the secret service should have let Trump handle it himself... Yeah, sure tough guy 🤣🤣

Yeah, I remember that, Trump is a big pussy!

For a spectacle, I would have preferred Jacob Elordi streaking across the stage.

I think Kodi Smit-McPhee needs to take Will out to the barn for some rawhide lasso weaving and some rough Western justice.

It's not Will's fault. The devil made him do it, love made him do it, the movie he just worked on made him do it, blamed everyone except himself.

I love R190. :)

If a white man had hit Rock, how many people would now be saying, "If a black man hit someone at the Oscars, he'd instantly be arrested"?

The Academy isn't going to do shit. He's just going to get a harsh talking to and will be attending next year, just watch. Oh and don't worry, now that the Academy has no balls, other male and maybe even female stars will take a cue from this and we will see a lot more on stage in the coming years. Imagine if he tires this again? Just saying, he's so rich and they are so subservient not out of the realm of possibility for him to prove his manhood over them once again.

The Academy directed Rock not to press charges.

He members of the Academy, I think you are missing these. Check Will Smiths pockets.

Don't be a pussy. The Rock should press charges. Don't seem weak.

The Academy immediately pressured Chris Rock not to press chargers. I agree, heat of the moment, he said no but I think he should. Look the Academy is not going to do shit for him. The video of his assault is playing over and over all over the world. His family and friends cant escape the clips. He's the victim and the Academy fails to honestly recognize that. Talk is cheap. What are they going to do about it? Ban him from presenting next year? Oh that's so stern, I am sure Smith is shaking in his boots with that option.

Will needs a good team of lawyers. I say sue both the Academy and Smith for hundreds of millions, he needs to get their attention. Settle only if they take back the Oscar, formally apologize on LIVE TV during the next Academy Awards (yes I know, you could never do that, cough, cough bull shit) and ban Will from ALL future Academy events. It's the least they could do.

[quote]Imagine if he tires this again? Just saying, he's so rich and they are so subservient not out of the realm of possibility for him to prove his manhood over them once again.

I hope next year when he's back to present Best Actress, another comedian takes a shot at him to see if he rushes the stage again. Kathy Griffin can call him a pussy and taunt him to come slap her.

Since Will Smith is basically going to walk free without any real consequences, I think this has really put a chill on other comedians. They are going to have to have security right at the stage. Like barricades at the White House. That's going to be an interesting look. Good job Academy.

Rock is not going to press charges or sue anyone. He will get far more mileage out not dragging the Academy down.

R228 Will Smith will NOT be presenting anything at next year's awards. There is no way the Academy can have him on stage or even as an audience member. Same with SAG.

To do so will be the final nail in the coffin for the Academy Awards telecast if they are stupid enough to let Will Smith present ANY award next year.

There would be public pressure on the broadcaster to not air the show - money speaks. Will Smith's career has been in decline for over a decades with only his Bad Boys sequel making any major $$$ since his big box office days and they ain't coming back.

The Academy is out of touch though. Before they have even completed their "investigation" they have already said there is no way they are going to take back his Oscar. And they have already leaked that unlike he would even be kicked out of the Academy. They are floating a trial balloon of restricting is academy voting rights for one year. Fucking out of touch losers if that's all they do.

Limiting voting rights in a private club is NOT "signification action". It's like another slap in the face.

Chris Rock is playing it smart by not immediately including the slap into his stand-up routine. According to reports, he alluded to it briefly in his show last night in Boston, then moved on to his prepared act.

What a professional; the kind Smith can only dream of being.

Rock will have his say, but he knows that timing is everything and now isn't the time. Plus, he's probably been advised, wisely, that the legal and sanctions dust, if any, needs to settle.

Off-topic, and I know Denzel Washington isn't liked here but those who say that he'll "protect" or rescue Smith- Really?

I would find it just as likely that he's furious at Smith and wished Smith , during his acceptance speech would have "kept his name outta his fucking mouth." Washington, has one foot in the Hollywood establishment and one in smartly taking roles throughout his career that maintained his cred.

He just saw a failure of major proportions, with his name attached by Smith, and I wouldn't be surprised if privately, behind the scenes of course, he is done with Smith.

[quote] In 20 seconds he destroyed decades of work and earned goodwill, for the privilege of 'looking tough', performatively, on television.

Yeah it really was performative. I think he did it for “clout” as the kids say. But clout with who exactly?

SAG/AFTRA needs to put a DO NOT WORK on AMPAS until this is straightened out.

Classic Golden Globes moment meets classic Oscar moment.

Isn't it funny how self inflated the Academy is? I mean even if they did the worst like take away his award, kick him out of the organization and banning him from attending, it the real world all of that would be a slap on the wrist in any other business. In the real world he would have been removed from the build, charges pressed, lawsuits filed from both the victim and the corporation.

But the Academy is SOOOO important that just losing his voting rights for a year is hard punishment enough.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (excerpts):

[quote]When Will Smith stormed onto the Oscar stage to strike Chris Rock for making a joke about his wife's short hair, he did a lot more damage than just to Rock's face. With a single petulant blow, he advocated violence, diminished women, insulted the entertainment industry, and perpetuated stereotypes about the Black community.

[quote]That's a lot to unpack. Let's start with the facts: Rock made a reference to Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, as looking like Demi Moore in 'G.I. Jane,' in which Moore had shaved her head. Jada Pinkett Smith suffers from alopecia, which causes hair loss. Ok, I can see where the Smiths might not have found that joke funny. But Hollywood awards shows are traditionally a venue where much worse things have been said about celebrities as a means of downplaying the fact that it's basically a gathering of multimillionaires giving each other awards to boost business so they can make even more money.

[quote]The Smiths could have reacted by politely laughing along with the joke or by glowering angrily at Rock. Instead, Smith felt the need to get up in front of his industry peers and millions of people around the world, hit another man, then return to his seat to bellow: 'Keep my wife's name out of your fucking mouth.' Twice. ... If Rock had physically attacked Pinkett Smith, Smith's intervention would have been welcome. Or if he'd remained in his seat and yelled his post-slap threat, that would have been unnecessary, but understandable. But by hitting Rock, he announced that his wife was incapable of defending herself—against words.

[quote] One of the main talking points from those supporting the systemic racism in America is characterizing Blacks as more prone to violence and less able to control their emotions. Smith just gave comfort to the enemy by providing them with the perfect optics they were dreaming of. Many will be reinvigorated to continue their campaign to marginalize African Americans and others through voter suppression campaign.

^ That's whole thing in a nutshell, excellent!

Just WHO are the persons that make up the Academy and decide what's what?

@r239...

ACADEMY HEADQUARTERS 8949 Wilshire Boulevard Beverly Hills California 90211

Dawn Hudson Chief Executive Officer

Andrew Horn Chief Financial Officer

Bev Kite Chief Information Officer

Christine Simmons Chief Operating Officer

SCOTT MILLER Chief Administrative Officer and General Counsel

JENNIFER DAVIDSON Chief Communications Officer

Shawn Finnie Executive Vice President, Member Relations and Awards

TENI MELIDONIAN Executive Vice President, Marketing and Brand Strategy

TODD BARASCH Senior Vice President, Business Development

Yolanda Enamorado Senior Vice President, Human Resources

MaryJane Partlow Senior Vice President, Operations, Awards and Events

THANK YOU R240.. One wonders how does one get to be on the board of the Academy in the first place? CONNECTIONS just like the rest of hollywood?...

Was Matt Damon present? Has he weighed in yet?

^ Yeah, he said, "Will's a fag, cancel him"

....

Pressing charges for a slap make you look really weak to be honest, almost like slapping people around.

Pressing charges comes before the suing for damages.

Suing for damages makes you look weak and rich.

After this current sold-out tour Rock is on, maybe he'll make so much bank he won't feel the need to file a suit against Smith, which I don't think he would be inclined to do anyway.

To me, from a pure career and financial standpoint, Rock has the trickier path to tread.

Overreach in going after Smith (lawsuits, police report) and you risk losing sympathy. I think most people, of all races and ethnicities, whether they admit it out loud or not, side with Rock.

Underreach by not responding at all and you relinquish an opportunity to enhance your standing.

Rock said at his show last night that he'll respond and it will be funny and serious. And there isn't one fucking thing the Smith's can do about it.

Revenge is a dish best served cold.

R224 , those look like the ones that Jada has in her purse…Will’s 😈

I believe Rock has six months to file charges and if the Academy does nothing, he should explore his options