Political commentary? The fallout from Will Smith and Chris Rock‘s drama at the 2022 Oscars has made its way to the White House.
According to Politico reporter Max Tani, White House communications director Kate Bedingfield — who was taking over for White House press secretary Jen Psaki during a briefing on Tuesday, March 29 — was asked about President Joe Biden’s thoughts on what went down between the Academy Award winner, 53, and the Saturday Night Live alum, 57, at the Sunday, March 27, ceremony.
“White House comms director Kate Bedingfield says at the press briefing that the White House has ‘no official comment on the altercation’ between Will Smith and Chris Rock, and says Biden did not watch the Oscars,” the reporter tweeted on Tuesday.
When Rock took the stage to present at the 94th Annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday, he made a joke at Jada Pinkett Smith’s expense, comparing her shaved head to Demi Moore’s in G.I. Jane. (The 50-year-old Red Table Talk host has alopecia, a condition she has been open about for years.)
Pinkett Smith rolled her eyes at the remark. While the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air alum initially appeared to laugh at the comment, his demeanor quickly changed as he walked on stage and smacked Rock across the face. Smith then yelled at the comedian after returning to his seat in the audience, telling the Longest Yard actor to “keep my wife’s name out your f—king mouth.”
The Men In Black star — who won the best actor trophy for his starring role in King Richard later that evening and alluded to the altercation in his acceptance speech — broke his silence on the incident one day later.
“Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive. My behavior at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable,” Smith wrote via Instagram on Monday, March 28, noting that hearing “a joke about Jada’s medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally.”
He continued: “I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness.”
In his Instagram post, the Pursuit of Happyness actor also apologized to the Academy, the producers of the Oscars, all viewers of the ceremony and his “King Richard family,” writing that his “behavior … stained” the legacy of the project.
Dozens of celebrities have weighed in on the scandal, with some siding with Rock and others supporting Smith. David Spade and Judd Apatow have stood up for the Madagascar voice actor, with Oscars cohost Amy Schumer revealing via Instagram on Wednesday, March 30, that she felt “traumatized” by the situation.
Former Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star Janet Hubert, for her part, tweeted, “There is only so much one can take… sometimes you have to slap back. Celebrate the win… nothing else matters. Both actions were incorrect but Chris didn’t need to go there.”
While Us Weekly confirmed that Rock has not filed a police report, the Academy has launched a “formal review” of the incident.
