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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Lifestyle
Peony Hirwani

Zoë Kravitz criticises Will Smith for slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars

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Zoë Kravitz has commented on the altercation between Will Smith and Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars.

The actor is among the latest in a line of celebrities who have weighed in on the dramatic moment, which took place after Rock joked about Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head, suggesting that she was set to star in a “GI Jane” movie.

Soon after the joke, Smith walked onstage and struck the comedian, before shouting “keep my wife’s name out your f***ing mouth”.

On Tuesday (29 March), the Kimi actor shared an image of her outfit from the Oscars, with the caption: “Here’s a picture of my dress at the show where we are apparently assaulting people on stage now.”

In a second post, Kravitz wrote: “And here is a picture of my dress at the party after the award show where we are apparently screaming profanities and assaulting people on stage now.”

Other celebrities who have condemned Smith for his actions include Jim Carrey, Joe Rogan, and Adam Sandler.

In an interview with CBS This Morning on Tuesday, Carrey expressed his disapproval of how the situation was handled. Smith won Best Actor for King Richard shortly after the incident, and received a standing ovation from many in the auditorium.

“I was sickened by the standing ovation. Hollywood is just spineless en masse and it really felt like this is a really clear indication that we aren’t the cool club anymore,” Carrey said.

CBS host Gayle King further speculated: “If anyone else had walked from the audience and done that, they would’ve been escorted out by security or maybe even arrested.”

Carrey added: “He should have been.”

Podcaster and stand-up comedian Joe Rogan also called out Smith for slapping Rock.

“Chris Rock was doing his f***ing job,” he said, on Tuesday’s episode of his podcast The Joe Rogan Experience.

“You don’t go sit in the front row, you’re a star at the Oscars, [and] there’s a professional comedian whose job is to roast people. That’s what he’s doing, and what he did was not even insulting. It was a mild joke,” Rogan continued. “[Smith] was emotionally fragile and he acted on impulse in a staggeringly stupid way.

“It sets a terrible precedent in so many different ways,” he added. “It sets a terrible precedent for comedy clubs. Like, are people going to decide to go on stage and smack a comedian now?”

Since the incident, Smith has issued an apology for slapping Rock.

“I was out of line and I was wrong,” read his statement.

The King Richard star said he knows jokes are part of his life as a public figure, and that “violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive”.

Find the full list of 2022 Oscar winners here. See the latest updates and reactions from the dramatic ceremony here, and read about the biggest talking points here.

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