Katherine Ryan slammed Will Smith after the shocking Oscars incident that took place on Sunday which saw Smith slap Chris Rock on stage.
Ryan has offered her thoughts on Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars, saying that if the actor couldn’t take a joke, he should have stayed at home.
What exactly went down at Oscars 2022?
Will Smith bagged the 2022 Academy Award for best actor for his appearance in King Richard. A few moments before Smith was awarded Best Actor, he stormed up on the stage to slap the famous comedian Chris Rock after he made a ‘GI Jane’ joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith’s hair.
Jada has talked about the disease alopecia she is suffering from. Pinkett Smith, the host of Red Table Talk, has previously spoken about her struggle with alopecia and also stated that it is what caused her to shave her head.
Her husband shouted at Rock saying “keep my wife’s name out of your f*ing mouth” as he returned to his seat among the stunned audience at the Dolby Theatre.
Katherine Ryan slams Will Smith over his violent reaction
Ryan has come forth in support of comedian Rock. Katherine insisted that the insults were part and parcel of the ‘celebrity monologue’ of awards shows.
One fan wrote in response: ‘I don’t condone what he did, violence is never the answer but just because Chris is a ‘comedian’, it means Will has to sit and watch his wife be insulted? Chris shouldn’t have said it, Will shouldn’t have hit him.’
Ryan replied: ‘Yes, he has to sit and watch his wife be insulted, yes that’s the point of the celeb monologue. Can’t take a joke, stay home,’ she added.
Another follower raised the issue of the slap itself surpassing ‘the humiliation of a black woman’ and pointed out that the ‘politicisation and policing of black hair has been replete for centuries’ with Rock’s degrading comment being ‘well below the belt and exceptionally harmful’.
Katherine replied: Yes he knew and maybe you did not know that Chris had made an entire documentary called Good Hair advocating for black women.
Chris made the film in 2009 after his three-year-old daughter Lola asked: ‘Daddy, how come I don’t have good hair?’
Smith issues a public apology to Rock via Instagram
Will has issued a public apology to Rock for his behaviour at Sunday night’s Oscars ceremony, saying his behaviour was ‘unacceptable and inexcusable’ and left him ’embarrassed’.
He wrote in an Instagram post that he was ’embarrassed’ by his actions, which surprised the ceremony attendees, producers and viewers. He wrote that ‘Violence in all of its forms was poisonous and destructive.’
His behaviour at the Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable. Jokes at his expense were a part of the job, but a joke about his wife, Jada’s medical condition was too much for him to bear and he reacted emotionally.
Further, he added he would like to publicly apologize to Chris. He was out of line and he was wrong, he was embarrassed and his actions were not indicative of the man he wanted to be. ‘There was no place for violence in a world of love and kindness.’
Smith then went on to apologize to the organisers and the producers of the show.