One of the countless who lambasted Will Smith for smacking Chris Rock at the Oscars was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Smith’s acts, as stated by Abdul-Jabbar in a blog post for his Substack account, seemed “a blow to men, women, the entertainment industry, and the Black community.” Additionally, he asserted that Smith’s tearful Best Actor award monologue was “worse” than the hit since it was “about justifying his violence.”
Abdul-Jabbar has recently admitted that he has altered his viewpoint about his harsh criticism of Smith. Abdul-Jabbar reaffirmed his allegiance to Smith in his most recent blog post, expressing that he senses his apologies for the slap are legitimate and that he is “rooting for him.”
The mere fact that Abdul-Jabbar has shifted his outlook demonstrates that people’s perceptions of Smith likewise are beginning to alter. Smith garnered a lot of backlash in subsequent weeks following the smack for his conduct. Although Smith has been forthright about his challenges with his mental wellness, there has been a growing consensus of compassion for him over the past few weeks.
According to him, Smith’s conduct “diminished women” by insinuating that they are powerless to safeguard themselves. Additionally, he alleged that Smith’s behavior “perpetuated stereotypes about the Black community” by conveying the perception that Black people tend to be violent.
Since then, Abdul-Jabbar has conceded that some of the phrases he made use of in his original segment were regrettable. He clarified that his intention was not to imply that Smith is a crude man and that he persists in believing Smith is an accomplished actor.
What did Will Smith say regarding the contentious slap to Chris Rock?
After Chris Rock made an innuendo about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, Will Smith smacked Rock on stage. Rock rendered an allusion to Pinkett Smith’s alopecia-related trimmed head. Rock was bashed in the face by Will as he approached him. “Keep my wife’s name out of your f***ing mouth”, Smith yelled after he stormed back to his seat.
Will later expressed regret to Rock on social media, calling his conduct “out of line” and “unacceptable.” He also conveyed contrition to the Academy and the Oscars audience. The Academy investigated the incident but eventually opted not to suspend Will.
Will Smith Figure his self out to apologize to Chris Rock,
his kids and is family after what did happened in the
Oscar.✍️After how much time Do you think Chris will
Answer Will Smith ?✍️ pic.twitter.com/ziN0JQCSig— P.News (@PWorldNews123) July 30, 2022
Will revealed that Rock’s facetious “triggered” him to the point where he felt compelled to advocate for his wife’s honor in a December 2022 interview with David Letterman. Additionally, he admitted that he was grappling with indignation disorders for a brief time and that he had been seeking qualified help.
Many in Hollywood and especially the general public strongly balked at Smith’s attitude at the Oscars. Many others, including Rock himself, have since extended their forgiveness to him. Rock emphasized that he had “no beef” with Smith and that he is hoping they can “eventually” put their dispute behind them in a recent interview.