David Spade, Kathy Griffin and More Comedians Defend Chris Rock After Oscars Slap: ‘We All Have to Worry’

Credit: Jason Merritt/Radarpics/Shutterstock

David Spade, Kathy Griffin and More Comedians Defend Chris Rock After Oscars Slap: 'We All Have to Worry'

A different kind of slapstick. David Spade, Kathy Griffin and more comedians voiced their concerns after Will Smith hit Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars. Viewers and attendees were shocked when Smith, 53, rushed onto the stage during the Sunday, March 27, awards show after Rock, 57, made Jada Pinkett Smith the butt of one of his jokes. "Jada, I love you. G.I. Jane 2, can't wait to see it. Alright?" the former Saturday Night Live cast member quipped, referring to the 50-year-old actress' shaved head. The comment prompted Smith to march up to Rock and slap him across the face. Once he returned to his seat, the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air alum yelled, "Keep my wife's name out of your f--king mouth." Social media was instantly abuzz as Oscars fans attempted to determine whether the moment was scripted. Even producers were left "scrambling" after the shocking incident, a source exclusively told Us Weekly. [jwplayer q8jhEs4p-zhNYySv2] "The higher-ups from the Academy, once they realized the slap was real, were first focused on making sure Chris was OK," the insider added. "Several workers went to check on [Chris] after the slap and he told everyone he was fine." Smith and Rock "did not see each other" after their heated exchange, per the source. "Everyone knew where Chris and Will were afterward and were not about to let them interact again for safety reasons." The King Richard actor went on to win the best actor trophy for his portrayal of Serena Williams and Venus Williams' father and tennis coach, Richard Williams. During his emotional speech, Smith reflected on the responsibility he felt to protect his costars, his family and Richard's story. "Love will make you do crazy things," he said through tears. Comedians were quick to stand up for Rock, who was "surprised" by Smith's actions, a second source told Us. "If he was shaken up, he didn't let on," the insider said of Rock. Smith, for his part, issued a public apology via social media on Monday, March 28. "Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive," he wrote in a lengthy Instagram statement. "My behavior at last night's Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable." The Gemini Man actor said he "reacted emotionally," adding, "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." Pinkett Smith shared her own subtle response to the situation one day later, uploading a quote to Instagram that read, "This is a season for healing and I'm here for it." Scroll down to see how comedians are reacting to the now-viral moment: [podcast_block]

Credit: Jason Merritt/Radarpics/Shutterstock

David Spade, Kathy Griffin and More Comedians Defend Chris Rock After Oscars Slap: 'We All Have to Worry'

A different kind of slapstick. David Spade, Kathy Griffin and more comedians voiced their concerns after Will Smith hit Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars. Viewers and attendees were shocked when Smith, 53, rushed onto the stage during the Sunday, March 27, awards show after Rock, 57, made Jada Pinkett Smith the butt of one of his jokes. "Jada, I love you. G.I. Jane 2, can't wait to see it. Alright?" the former Saturday Night Live cast member quipped, referring to the 50-year-old actress' shaved head. The comment prompted Smith to march up to Rock and slap him across the face. Once he returned to his seat, the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air alum yelled, "Keep my wife's name out of your f--king mouth." Social media was instantly abuzz as Oscars fans attempted to determine whether the moment was scripted. Even producers were left "scrambling" after the shocking incident, a source exclusively told Us Weekly. [jwplayer q8jhEs4p-zhNYySv2] "The higher-ups from the Academy, once they realized the slap was real, were first focused on making sure Chris was OK," the insider added. "Several workers went to check on [Chris] after the slap and he told everyone he was fine." Smith and Rock "did not see each other" after their heated exchange, per the source. "Everyone knew where Chris and Will were afterward and were not about to let them interact again for safety reasons." The King Richard actor went on to win the best actor trophy for his portrayal of Serena Williams and Venus Williams' father and tennis coach, Richard Williams. During his emotional speech, Smith reflected on the responsibility he felt to protect his costars, his family and Richard's story. "Love will make you do crazy things," he said through tears. Comedians were quick to stand up for Rock, who was "surprised" by Smith's actions, a second source told Us. "If he was shaken up, he didn't let on," the insider said of Rock. Smith, for his part, issued a public apology via social media on Monday, March 28. "Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive," he wrote in a lengthy Instagram statement. "My behavior at last night's Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable." The Gemini Man actor said he "reacted emotionally," adding, "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." Pinkett Smith shared her own subtle response to the situation one day later, uploading a quote to Instagram that read, "This is a season for healing and I'm here for it." Scroll down to see how comedians are reacting to the now-viral moment: [podcast_block]

Credit: Jason Merritt/Radarpics/Shutterstock

Chelsea Handler

“I just think Chris Rock handled himself with such aplomb and is such a pro and that, you know, he could not have reacted in a better way,” Handler told Entertainment Tonight at the 2022 Grammys on April 3. “He just handled it like a professional and it was a good example to all performers and all comedians how to keep your cool and not be reactive and to actually keep the show moving along.”

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Bill Maher

"I think Chris Rock did a lot of good. I thought he reacted as well as you could in that situation," Maher told TMZ. "It was not a good look for Will. I could make a case that we all have been under a lot of pressure and there's a lot of emotion running through him. It was just out of line, and it reinforced the idea that jokes are the enemy. It is sort of, like, cancel culture encapsulated."

The political commentator praised his good friend for his choice to continue presenting the award.

"Chris Rock is the hero here and has been a hero many times to me in my life. He is not just one of the state-of-the-art comedians we have ever had. But at that moment, on a much smaller level, he was Jackie Kennedy after the assassination of [John F. Kennedy]," he said at the time. "We are looking at someone to pull it together with dignity and get the train back on the tracks. He did it and I think he should get a lot of credit for it."

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Adam Sandler

Rock's former costar shared a promotional poster from his Ego Death World Tour 2022 via Instagram, writing, "Can't wait for this. Love you buddy!"

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David Spade

When Spade expressed his disbelief that a joke about G.I. Jane could prompt such a strong reaction, a Twitter user replied, "Why would you phrase this as 'a GI Jane joke?' instead of 'a joke about a woman with alopecia'?" The Joe Dirt actor fired back, "Because comedians don't have a medical chart for everyone in the audience."

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Judd Apatow

The director sparked backlash for his initial reaction to the slap, which has since been deleted. "He could have killed him," Apatow tweeted on Sunday. "That's pure out of control rage and violence. He lost his mind."

The King of Staten Island producer later clarified his remarks on SiriusXM's Dean Obeidallah Show, explaining, "Well, you're somebody that people emulate, so it's dangerous. You can't have the Sidney Poitiers of the world behave that way. ... Hopefully it becomes a teachable moment where Will Smith can speak to people in an honest way about why that was not the way to go."

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Howard Stern

"This is a sign of great mental illness when you can't control your impulse. Not only that, it was hardly an insulting joke. It was not even a good joke," the radio mogul argued on The Howard Stern Show, calling Rock a "gentle soul" and "not a fighter." Though Stern said that the quip was "beneath" the Madagascar actor, he added, "Poor Chris Rock is a comedian and just trying to get through the day to make the f–king people laugh at that horrible ceremony."

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Rob Schneider

The California native stood up for his fellow Grown Ups star, tweeting, "There's never an excuse for violence," followed by the word "ever" 10 times.

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Kathy Griffin

"Let me tell you something, it's a very bad practice to walk up on stage and physically assault a Comedian," the Emmy winner wrote via Twitter. "Now we all have to worry about who wants to be the next Will Smith in comedy clubs and theaters."

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Rosie O’Donnell

The A League of Their Own star called the altercation "so upsetting - on every level," tweeting her praise for Rock. "Bravo to Chris Rock - for not  eviscerating will smith - which he could do any day of the week - he walked away - bravo from a sad display of toxic masculinity from a narcissistic madman," she wrote.

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Whoopi Goldberg

While discussing the interaction on The View, the EGOT winner said she believed Smith "overreacted" to the joke. "I think it's remarkable and wonderful that Chris Rock did not take it to that other place it could have gone," she added.

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Whitney Cummings

The Whitney alum weighed in on the discourse, tweeting, "I mean, it's amazing that twitter attacking comedians for making jokes here about last night don't see that they're doing the same s--t Will did last night. When people take jokes literally, society is just over."

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Kenny and Keith Lucas

"You can protect Black women and not condone violence against Black men. It's not mutually exclusive," the comedy duo tweeted on Sunday, teasing, "Damn comedy is literally under assault."

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Tom Segura

The podcaster called out the Academy via Twitter following its initial statement, arguing that the organization "fully endorsed" violence by rewarding Smith's King Richard role. He also slammed the "super sensitive" response to Rock's joke about Pinkett Smith, which he argued was "tame AF."