There is so much more to this story, but, we will never know it. Will Smith laughed at the joke at first, but, when he saw the expression on his wife's face, it sparked outrage that was either genuine or fake.
Three scenarios come to mind:
(1) Jada-centered explanation: Will has witnessed first hand Jada's pain and suffering associated with her hair loss and the insensitivity of the joke just triggered an overwhelming outrage. But, my issue with this explanation is that, if this was the case, Will Smith would not have laughed initially at the joke. And, he would have been triggered right away, without having to look at Jada's reaction.
(2) Will-centered explanation: Will notices the joke has made his wife upset and feels like he must be her 'white night'. Maybe she has complained in the past about him not sticking up for her. He thinks he will look weak if he does not stick up for her now. He takes action to confirm that he is a bad ass 'protector of his family'. His actions in this scenario are purely ego/narcissism driven.
(3) Chris Rock-centered explanation: Will has deep-seated resentment due to years of being 'picked on' by Chris Rock. If this is the case, Will should have fought back with some mean jokes about Chris Rock. Isn't Will Smith a comedian in his own right? Couldn't he come up with some good roast jokes against Chris? A roasting feud would have been fun entertainment, instead of the shit show we had.
My issue with what went down is time and place. If this had happened in a club, restaurant or other place where Will Smith reasonably expected to be left in peace to enjoy an evening with his wife, I would totally be on Will's side. But, the fact that it happened at the Oscars, makes it wrong on so many levels. Everyone knows that there is going to be some serious roasting at the Oscars. It is supposed to humble these 'stars' that are treated like 'gods' amongst mere mortals. Every actors at the Oscars has a bull's eye on their back. If they get roasted, they are supposed to be a good sport and just take it. This shows the world that these stars have a humble side and can be good sports with humor at their expense. Will Smith violated this unwritten rule and: (a) made an ass of himself, (b) broke the golden rule of the 'gods' being humble and good sports at the Oscars, (c) caused shock, confusion and embarrassment to everyone, (d) stole the show from other Oscar-winning actors, and (e) appeared to confirm the worst stereotypes about black people.







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