Will Smith Refuses To Pose w/ Fellow Oscar Winners Backstage

Did he refuse or was he asked not to?

R1 he refused

Why refuse?

R3 that is the question

The other winners were afraid to pose next to him, lest they not provide a Jada-approved look in the photo and risk being assaulted themselves.

Source?

He seems like a real asshole.

BTW, who are those people in the pic? Quit watching awards shows years ago.

Link?

Who wants him there? Criminal.

I’m sure the other winners will recover from not having the opportunity to pose with that thug.

I read that he simply did not attand any of the back-stage events which also include opportunities for press interviews post-win. I can understand why.

I’m going out on a limb here; maybe he felt ashamed of himself because of his actions and also realized how ridiculously smug and cringeworthy his Oscar acceptance speech was.

/attend

He was dancing like he had no worries, being cheered on by sycophant enablers, at an after party.

He's shameless and remorseless. And a violent criminal.

"Oh, dear" aside, Noel makes the important point: business is business

His publicist really steered him wrong with that speech. Or maybe they have no control over him.

Wouldn’t a lawyer advise a client NOT to apologize to the victim because it would indicate fault. Maybe he was trying to control the narrative for a possible lawsuit.

[quote] maybe he felt ashamed of himself because of his actions and also realized how ridiculously smug and cringeworthy his Oscar acceptance speech was.

You must be kidding. Will Smith is totally self-absorbed asshole who only cares about himself. There is not a scintilla of self-awareness about this jerk. Ashamed?? Remorse?? Not a fucking chance.

He actually did them a favor because it would make them have to answer questions about "supporting an abuser" or whatever narrative Twitter is using against Will. I'm sure their publicist spoke with his publicists and asked him not to do the group pose.

I wouldn't want Will Smith near me after that violent outburst and complete emotional meltdown. He's unstable at best.

Not to mention the bad PR that comes from being associated with him.

Jessica Chastain likely refused to be photographed with Will Smith.

The only abuser she supports Matthew Newton.

I would, he's proven to be A+++ list. No one dared to check him.

What?

Whose afterparty did he attend?

Elton's? Madonna's? Vanity Fair's?

He was at Vanity Fair. Dancing it up like he's not a violent criminal.

The Hollywood Reporter claims that Smith said "it's been a beautiful night."

Let’s not pretend we are not all LOVING the drama.

Unfortunately, this country's society is no longer bringing people up, but more like taking everyone down.

The bar keeps getting lower and lower.

I have always like both Will Smith and Chris Rock. I feel like this is just a sign of the times. People are way more on edge and reactionary these days. I see craziness everywhere now. Imagine being a multi-multi-millionaire, super famous, beloved by millions of fans, beautiful family and being that unhappy. No happy person acts like Will Smith acted last night

None of the other winners would have wanted to be pictured with Will Smith.

For all they knew at that moment, he was going to be next photographed for a mug shot.

[quote]maybe he felt ashamed of himself

Bless your heart.

During his ludicrous, self-serving acceptance speech, people should've stood up and either walked out or at least turned their backs on him. His actions deserved a public, visible repudiation by the very same peers who gave him that award.

Think of when Elia Kazan was given an honorary award. They had to grudgingly give it to him on account of his artistic contributions, but they didn't have to like it, and plenty of people sat on their hands in a dignified rejection of Mr. Kazan's offscreen contributions to the blacklist era.

The motion picture industry has a long, sad history of enabling abusers, and by applauding Smith during his moment, they've added last night to that long, sad list.

[quote]They had to grudgingly give it to him on account of his artistic contributions

The Academy had to do no such thing.

Will Smith is an ass. I don't even want to look at his photo anymore. The other winners are better off pictured without him. The sweetness Troy Kotsur is too strong a contrast. Authentic joy next to entitled rage.

Mary Steenburgen didn't pose with me, Sissy, and De Niro on the night we all won Oscar Gold. She was probably just tired, and left before the media frenzy. Bless her Arkansas bones!

[quote] She was probably just tired, and left before the media frenzy

She went home to breast feed her baby

R11 I heard that as well, that he left without doing any backstage interviews.

But to see pics of him dancing and celebrating at the Vanity Fair party.... he's a vile piece of shit.

Some good news:

TV Ratings: Oscars Rebound From Historic Lows

The audience for ABC's broadcast grows significantly vs. 2021 but still trails previous years by a sizable margin.

Didn't somebody earlier in the evening make a joke about G.I. Jane before Chris Rock? I thought they were referring more to that green dress which was so big it looked like a Jennifer Lawrence type tripper-over.

R38 Will Smith's misdemeanor battery surely overshadowed any commentary on the job that these three hosts might have done last night.

No one here is being catty about which of the three was the best/worst of the night, and whether they lived up to the annoyance and hype from last month.

[quote] Think of when Elia Kazan was given an honorary award. They had to grudgingly give it to him on account of his artistic contributions, but they didn't have to like it, and plenty of people sat on their hands in a dignified rejection of Mr. Kazan's offscreen contributions to the blacklist era.

Ironically Chris Rock made a controversial joke on that night too. He called Kazan a rat. The joke went over like a lead balloon but everyone quickly moved past it.

This entire thing is made up nonsense and pretty much proves that PR agents for these people prowl here and trawl for opinions.

This is a reaction to the discussion here the other day where we discussed how phony and "safe" Mr. Fresh Prince's image is.

You people lap up staged Hollywood stunts and fake PR controversy like the fat office sows at the pizza trough you consistently mock around here. Odd that y'all keep buying the bullshit year in, year out.

The best years of Kazan's moviemaking career were not that long, the later years of it undistinguished, and he won two Best Director Oscars. The case against giving him the honorary award (aside from his being a polarizing figure politically) was that he had been rewarded quite enough for a "good" career in film, and he was more influential for his work in the theater anyway.

But Karl Malden was a Kazan loyalist with a lot of sway, and he got what he wanted. It was an ugly episode.

[quote]BTW, who are those people in the pic? Quit watching awards shows years ago.

R41 That's probably because today's Hollywood has no idea who the fuck Kazan was, or what he did.

He might as well have made jokes about Susan Hayward's yabbos or Carol Wayne's backstroke.

People have discussed whether it was a stunt or not numerous times in the 12-15 threads we've had about this, r42. Your take is not nearly as hot 'n' fresh as you think it is.

Time for Demi Moore's comeback!

r1 is a LSA troll loser. Ignore it!

R32 is the epitome of cancel culture.

The entire audience was in shock because Will Smith had torpedoed the crowning moment of his successful career. Don’t blame the people in the audience for not being woke enough to pass judgement on for his sins on international television.

[quote] No one here is being catty about which of the three was the best/worst of the night, and whether they lived up to the annoyance and hype from last month.

Personally I think they all three did a good job but with three hosts none of them got to be on screen enough to really judge them.

The three ladies were very good indeed, but yes, they were underutilized.

R49 It's not "woke" to realize Will Smith is a self-absorbed, deranged piece of shit. The man and his wife have been a toxic stain on Hollywood for years. The whole town knows it. The room may have been surprised that he hit someone on global television, but they weren't at all surprised that this egomaniacal asshole wouldn't have the grace to apologize to the person he hit.

I've seen this man's Oprah interviews. I've seen what other actors and producers have said about him and his wife. They're trash, and the only reason they're invited to the Oscars at all is because Will Smith makes a shitload of money for the studios. He's a cash cow, not a serious talent. He's Will Ferrell with a rap career, or Justin Bieber with a few decades of showbiz experience. He's a worthless human being, and his wife has an ego ten sizes too big for her actual station in life.

I don't want the prick cancelled. It seems like he's already done that for himself.

The fact that there are 53 threads here discussing it means it's served its purpose well enough, R46.

I could not give a shit less about having a fresh take. Just the number of people who want to be duped so they can have something juicy to slaver over is disappointing.

R32/r52 I’m not criticising you for thinking Will Smith is an animal. I’m criticising you for expecting the audience to bay and boo and turn their backs on him. Your expectations of bystanders in the room are ridiculous. And yes, your expectations of them are the definition of cancel culture. You sound like an outraged college girl.

It is not their fault they didn’t have the correct PC response that would please you. No one wanted to be in that position but there they were.

Did you see Denzel Washington’s face? He didn’t want to be there. He didn’t want his name in Will’s mouth, pun totally intended. He schooled Will privately then had to sit around and wait to lose his Oscar because he’s Denzel Washington, Smith’s mentor and black Hollywood’s elder statesman and he can’t just flounce out of there. Do you think Lupita was happy to sit there all night with all the cameras in the world on them? Was Chastain? Was anyone?

No was one was after that. Read what Nate Jones in Vulture described the room as being like.

Can someone copy R54's article. It won't let me read it.

He was busy.

Click on the X r55 and it will.

R54 Get a life Karen

What "X"

We pulled one over on Whitey!

Probably because he knows his Oscar will be taken away from him

Didn't someone say something about "zipper" -- I thought during one of the times ABC cut away from the action that Will Smith might have taken out his dick during the acceptance speech.

Just when we think he couldn’t be a bigger asshole.

He was 100% in the wrong to slap Rock, but 100% in the right not to pose with the winners-it would’ve been a distraction & would’ve put a damper on their deserved wins.

Maybe the other winners didn't want to pose with him. It's a blot on the awards and their night.

Vulture article, p. 1:

[quote]When you relegate the craft categories to the status of a canape tray; when you spend the run-up to the telecast all but apologizing for the films your members nominated; when you decide to hand over the celebration of cinema to random Twitter users; in short, when you strip the Oscars of everything to do with honoring what we love about movies, who should be surprised when the only thing left is pointless celebrity drama?

[quote] Thus, the slap heard round the world. In the middle of what had been a fairly de rigueur Oscars ceremony, enlivened only by The Flash entering the Speed Force, Chris Rock came out to present Best Documentary Feature. Just as he had when he hosted the 2016 ceremony, Rock took a dig at Jada Pinkett Smith, noting her shaved head and telling her he was looking forward to G.I. Jane 2. (Pinkett Smith has alopecia.) What happened next would overshadow the entire show. From his seat in the front row, Smith got up, approached the stage, and slapped Rock across the face. Those of us attending the Oscars were as confused as those watching at home. From where I was sitting, high up in the rafters, it was initially unclear if what had just happened was real, or just a bit. (Didn’t it look like a stage slap?) But Rock’s reaction told it all. Never a comedian to get rattled, he for once seemed visibly unnerved. Smith returned to his seat, and began shouting, “Keep my wife’s name out of your fucking mouth!” Rock was incredulous: “Dude, it was a joke.” If those in the audience didn’t know it was real before then, we certainly did now.

Vulture article, p. 2:

[quote]From there, the mood inside the Dolby Theater had curdled. How do you even react to that? Poor Questlove, whose speech was overshadowed as everyone in the audience craned their necks to try to see what was happening up front. The Godfather tribute and the In Memoriam segment likewise had to compete for attention with Twitter as everyone scrolled, looking for intel about what happened next. Where was Rock? Where was Smith? What was going on down there?

[quote]To make matters worse, the show chose this exact moment to dispense with the hosts, who could have at least guided us through the moment. As the night progressed without any official acknowledgement of what had just happened, the crowd was in a state of stunned confusion. Surely, somebody onstage would have to say something. They couldn’t ignore it entirely — the Best Actor category was coming eventually, and Smith was all but guaranteed to win. But in the meantime, they just … kept on with the show as if nothing had happened. Punch lines fell flat. At points, people in the mezzanine level took to standing up and leaning over the balcony for updates on what was going on downstairs. Apparently, celebs were lining up to pay their respects to Will and Jada, but all we could hear from upstairs were mysterious roars of applause emanating from the deep. One publicist repping another Best Picture contender texted me, “This is the most unhinged evening of our lives.”

Vulture article, p. 3:

[quote]Finally, the unavoidable. Best Actor came and there was Smith up at the podium. It was a moment that had been widely predicted since Labor Day, but not like this. He teared up and took as much time as he needed — no one was going to dare play him off. In a five-minute speech, surely one of the longest in history, he attempted to say what needed to be said. At first, he attempted to draw a line between himself and Richard Williams. Both, he said, would do anything to protect their families. There were more than a few audible sighs in my section at this moment. “He’s doubling down,” one woman near me muttered incredulously.

[quote]He then spoke on the counsel he’d just received from Denzel Washington, a fellow nominee. “When you’re at your highest point, that’s when the devil comes for you.” But slowly he approached something close to contrition. He apologized to the Academy, and to his fellow nominees (but notably, not to Rock). And he drew another comparison to the real Williams: Now he had become the “crazy dad” distracting from everyone else’s accomplishments. Finally, he threw love to his female collaborators, and who could argue with that? He left the stage to a standing ovation from the orchestra, where the stars sat. Folks higher up in the mezzanine clapped. I’m still not sure how much of this applause was genuine support, and how much was simply the audience releasing the tension that had been building for over an hour.

[quote]Of course, the night was not over. Jessica Chastain won, so did Jane Campion, and finally so did CODA. But I doubt they had any illusions that the night would go down as anything other than the “Will Smith Oscars.” As the star made his way out of the Dolby, he was surrounded by camera phones, but still managed as discreet an exit as possible. A-listers like Tracee Ellis Ross wore thousand-yard stares, as if they’d just survived the battle of Ypres. Reports from the press lounge said winners had been instructed to answer questions about their work — and nothing else. “Someone called this the ‘worst Oscars ever,’” a fellow pundit told me as everyone drifted towards their after-parties. “But how do you even quantify it like that?” Perhaps the most damning indictment: For one night, the Oscars felt like the Golden Globes.

END

Interesting article. I actually felt bad for everyone in the room, it completely changes the tone of the evening and can be quite disorienting when something like this happens. I know i've experienced violent outbursts like this before at, like, family functions, and the tension is palpable and suffocating.

Venus looked really sad and confused during his speech. She was probably excited about this night honouring a film about her family and tennis legacy. Instead the whole moment was stolen by Smith (by the way, I don't recall her father ever violently assaulting someone on live TV despite Smith repeatedly trying to compare his slap to his character's actions to justify it). Serena is a bit better at playing it off with a smile and a shrug for the cameras - same thing with their Jane Campion incident a few weeks back where Venus looked a bit more 'in thought' about it.

I'm sick of Denzel too. This is not the devil coming for him, this is Will Smith committing a violent act in a performative display (since he originally laughed at Rock's joke). Two of the biggest egos in Hollywood, stroking each other. Anyway, the photo of the three of them looks great and will probably be more iconic in the future given that this year's ceremony will always be associated with this outburst.

Everyone knows that Denzel wasn't literally saying Satan was coming for Will because he was a success, right? Even the churchy types don't always mean the literal devil when they say "the devil." It frequently means bad ideas, bad thoughts, bad choices, etc.

"At the highest moment, be careful, because that’s when the devil comes for you" probably meant "you get too high off your own success, you're going to start acting like a fool, and you need to get hold of yourself." Which is completely accurate.

[quote] There is no doubt the matter will not rest with the closing credits of the Oscar telecast. The coming days will surely bring a reckoning. Or with Smith’s decision to make a speedy exit from the Oscars, bypassing the customary encounter with the international media.

Michael Idato of the Sydney Morning Herald said Smith left the venue immediately after he won.

So Jessica Chastain was spared.

R70 Yeah I don't think many people understand that. They hear the devil and they think little red dude with a pitchfork. But, yes when an Evangelical, black or white, talks about the devil like that, they mean what you said, it is the negative thoughts and ideas that seek to sabotage you. Just like the idea behind it being easier for a camel to pass through the eye of needle than for a rich man to enter heaven, isn't that money itself is evil, it is because of the choices that money presents to you.

[quote][R11] I heard that as well, that he left without doing any backstage interviews.

Well, the media can be so vicious.

He didn’t refuse. He left and didn’t do the press stuff. He wasn’t there.

That’s a choice. He refused to do the tradition and take a group photo and meet the press.

They were afraid of a group slapping!

R38 Schumer is so disgusting to look at.

[quote]Apparently, celebs were lining up to pay their respects to Will and Jada

"That's right, celebs. You lick my stank hole or I'll call you all racist! Lick it good!"

"Imagine being a multi-multi-millionaire, super famous, beloved by millions of fans, beautiful family and being that unhappy. "

Who would this be, dear?

I grew up in a home with tons of domestic violence. I notice that some people with this background like Rosie O. have been really upset today. I have been thinking about this stupid episode all day, remembering episodes when my psychotic mother would fly into a violent rage on a dime, just like Will Smith did.

We all know the real reason Jada told Will to beat his ass was so that no one today would be talking about her absolutely hideous gown.

The only inspiration for her Oscar look that I can think of, is that she or someone close to her must have recently visited the Babyland General Hospital in Cleveland, GA where you can witness a cabbage giving birth to a Cabbage Patch Kid.

There are people who say she told him he better handle that so he did.

Will needs to leave her, honestly. I feel she is why he is so unhappy and she is his downfall.

The only photo Will should pose for is a mug shot.

IMDb posted this with just the three lmao

He did them a favor by not posing with them, so I'll give him that. He needs to publicly apologize to Chris Rock and also specifically to Questlove and the other nominees in that category. That should've been Questlove's moment, but no one cared after all that.

If Troy Kotsur is upset, I'll comfort him.

As long as he jams those long fingers of his into my hole.....

The only photo that asshole should pose for is a mugshot

I've always liked Will & thought he was handsome, easygoing and entertaining on ocassion. I also felt somewhat sorry for him for being saddled with a shrew of a wife and weirdo kids. But his behavior last night was disgusting, no matter how Blacks on social media are trying to spin it. If there's any justice, he'll be shunned out of the industry.

R90 no. You didn’t. Also, it’s not only “blacks” defending him.

If you're in heat over Troy Kotsur, you should just pony up the dough for a hustler already because you clearly haven't been fucked in a decade or more.

I don’t think many people are defending him at all. Maybe there were a few yesterday but today he’s being uniformly criticized. I haven’t seen anything today where people condone what he did.

There’s a ton of them on TikTok r93 but also many saying he was wrong.

I’ve been going through TikTok since I’ve finished work and have not found one person—black people included—defending him.

I haven’t either. Just one person chiding Chris for punching down. Which…. I dunno. Did he? Did Chris know Jada has alopecia (sp?)

Will's apologia

I’m glad he apologized to Chris. It was the least he could do.

[quote] I’m glad he apologized to Chris. It was the least he could do.

R98, why does it seem that “Mother” (aka TPTB) forced this out of the child, Will Smith, and he reluctantly - almost 24 hours later - comes up with this statement.

He had the opportunity to apologize when he did so to others during his speech or before he partied the night away.

He was defiantly unrepentant and making excuses for his abhorrent violence until now.

Now that backlash is growing, he’s come out with more of his BS.

He’s another entitled, narcissist like Cosby.

The picture is better without him in it. After they take away his Oscar they would’ve had a Photoshop amount of it anyway.

[quote]Did he refuse or was he asked not to?

Troy Kotsur told him to talk to the hand.

Another How It Was In The Room piece from The New Yorker by Michael Schulman

He should have done a quick Sally Field "You really really like me" spiel and then left.

At least no one slapped Liza.

[quote]The picture is better without him in it. After they take away his Oscar they would’ve had a Photoshop amount of it anyway.

I agree, they all look very happy and relaxed.

R104 If it was young Liza she probably would've high kicked him.

I don’t care about viewers in the balcony. I want to know why folks in the orchestra pit gave that violent lunatic a standing O. Many of them had to hear Smith’s rants and had to know it was real and completely wrong. Yet they stood and applauded him and laughed during his entitled cringe inducing speech.

^ it’s not that hard to figure out. They were planning to give him a standing ovation before the beatdown, and they were so shocked by the beatdown that they pretended it didn’t happen.

It’s the same reason that no one with any social nous turns their back on and boos creepy Uncle Bob for having a turn and throwing dinner rolls during Thanksgiving: because watching him, they feel awkward, embarrassed, think he is on the verge of a nervous breakdown and want the night to continue without any further drama.

[quote]Everyone knows that Denzel wasn't literally saying Satan was coming for Will because he was a success, right?

I get that part. What's embarrassing is that a 53-year-old still needs a 67-year-old to mentor him. It made sense when Smith was starting out and he needed Washington to tell him which parts to take and which co-stars to kiss. After three decades at the top, you'd think Smith would be mentoring the Black up-and-comers himself now. Although, after last night, thank actual-God if that isn't happening.

Jada is a beautiful woman, with or without hair. But I find her and her husband smug and insufferable. My idea of torture would be to have to see his entire Oscar speech. The small clips I've seen are cringe inducing, all that "god" and protecting woman crap. Any chance they'll fade into the woodwork now? Probably not....

[quote]At least no one slapped Liza.

Had Gaga done that, it would've turned into a Whatever Happened to Baby Jane moment.

Well, with her garish hair color and Gorgon-inspired makeup, Gags is ready to step into the Jane Hudson role for sure.

Glad he didn’t taint the winners’ photos with his mug

Jessica had a really good makeup artist that night.

She doesn't have that cold uncaring lesbian look that she usually has.

Jessica looked like a silly clown.

[quote] What's embarrassing is that a 53-year-old still needs a 67-year-old to mentor him. It made sense when Smith was starting out and he needed Washington to tell him which parts to take and which co-stars to kiss. After three decades at the top, you'd think Smith would be mentoring the Black up-and-comers himself now. Although, after last night, thank actual-God if that isn't happening

Huh? No one said he was still his mentor. We were just discussing WHY it fell to Denzel to act like the teacher on playground duty when he just wanted to lose his Oscar and go home.

That's because he's a POS

His "MO"