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“Dancing With the Stars” professional dancer Peta Murgatroyd weighed in on actor Will Smith slapping comedian Chris Rock during the 2022 Oscars ceremony, saying that Smith, who would go on to win the Oscar for best actor later in the evening, ruined the ceremony for everyone.
Peta Thinks Will Should Have Been ‘Escorted Out’
WILL SMITH LE METIÓ UNA PIÑA EN VIVO A CHRIS ROCK POR BARDEAR A SU ESPOSA EN LOS #Oscars.
In an Instagram story, Peta had some thoughts about what happened between Will Smith and Chris Rock during the Oscars. For some background, Chris made a joke about Will’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, and the fact that she shaves her head due to alopecia, a condition that causes hair loss. Chris joked she’d be making the movie “G.I. Jane II,” a reference to the film where Demi Moore shaved her head after joining the Marines. Jada looked visibly upset and Will took the stage and punched Chris.
Peta thinks that there was absolutely a better way to have handled the situation and that it “ruined” the ceremony.
“I gotta say… unless this was staged (it didn’t look like it)… there were other ways to handle this. My god. This is WILD!!!! It ruined the rest of the show, and now the only thing people will remember about these Oscars is this altercation,” wrote Peta.
She went on to say that she understands why Will did what he did and she would want her husband to stand up for her, but this was not the way.
“On the flip side, I am all for Will Smith standing up for his wife. I think the reason is VALID, however, this was not it,” wrote Peta, adding, “What Chris said was wrong. You should never make a joke about someone losing their hair due to illness. Poor taste/low blow whatever you want to call it. I can 100 percent side with Will and Jada’s anger.”
She continued, “But what Will did was assault. I think he should’ve been escorted out. Trust me, I would absolutely want my husband to stand up for me. But I would also be equally embarrassed and shocked if he did what Will did. I dunno, this just jolted me every time I watched it back. It just made me so uncomfortable. Maybe it’s because there is so much violence in the world right now. This is just not what we all needed to see.”
Peta is married to former “Dancing With the Stars” pro Maksim Chmerkovskiy, who is currently in Poland helping the people of Ukraine, his home country.
Other Pros Have Weighed In As Well
On pro Witney Carson’s Instagram, she and her viewing partner were in disbelief. She wrote and said in her stories, “We are discussing this drama on the #oscars tonight. Like cannot wrap my head around what just happened. We need your thoughts ASAP @kylee.pickering. … What even just happened? We’re still trying to gather our thoughts. What are you guys thinking right now?”
Pro Sharna Burgess initially called what Will did “bada**,” but she later deleted the slide and walked that back, recognizing a “terrible choice of words.”
Her initial Instagram stories said, “The Oscars… Will Smith just walked on that stage and… MADE HISTORY. Defending your wife. That s*** was bada**. If you haven’t seen it… google it.”
Sharna later apologized, writing, “I apologize to anyone I offended with that first version. Violence is triggering for countless people.”
She then clarified her comments, saying that violence is “never” the answer, but she still thinks Will was right to defend his wife, he just should have done it in a different way because not only is violence not the answer, but he won an Oscar and now all anyone can talk about is him punching a comedian and he had to use his acceptance speech to apologize.
“Defending his wife on a matter that clearly hurt her IS bada**. HOW he defended her is not. And he knows that, I’m sure. And… now his moment that he has probably wanted his whole life, winning an Oscar, is tied in with assault. And an acceptance speech that I’m sure wasn’t what he dreamed out saying when he thought of this moment. I’d guess the repercussions after this will be intense. At the end of the day… Chris Rock could press charges if he wanted to,” wrote Sharna.
But she added, “Chris Rock making fun of a woman who has worked to embrace herself and been incredibly brave and vulnerable in sharing her story was absolute bulls***. A joke that claims she has lost her femininity because of something she cannot control. Because of a shaved head. I know comedians say crazy shit in their specials and their stand-up… but to me, that didn’t belong at the Oscars. And this is AFTER a joke about their marriages. Come on.”
Following the ceremony, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences issued a brief statement on Twitter, writing, “The Academy does not condone violence of any form. Tonight we are delighted to celebrate our 94th Academy Awards winners, who deserve this moment of recognition from their peers and movie lovers around the world.”
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DWTS Pro Blasts Will Smith After Oscars Slap