Though Chris Rock joked about the infamous Oscars slap from Will Smith in his special Selective Outrage, Leslie Jones revealed it was no laughing matter.
In fact, while promoting her new memoir Leslie F*cking Jones, the SNL alum told People the comedian needed counseling following the incident.
As a refresher, Rock was hosting the 2022 Academy Awards and made a G.I. Jane joke about Jada Pinkett Smith's bald head, which she shaved due to her battle with alopecia. Smith then approached the stage, slapped Rock across the face, and shouted:
“Keep my wife’s name out of your f**king mouth!”
Jones shared that the moment truly affected Rock's life, as his entire family, including his parents and daughters, were watching. As a result, Rock sought counseling with his daughters.
Jones explained:
“That sh*t was humiliating."
“People need to understand his daughters, his parents saw that.”
She also disclosed that in that moment, she herself wanted to take action:
“You don’t know that I was going to jump in my car and roll up there. I was so f**king mad on so many levels."
She continued:
“This is the Oscars. The whole world is watching.”
People on social media agreed that the incident was traumatic.
@THR Not surprised. Such a shock. The incident itself & lack of recourse by Will Smith,was traumatic for Chris Rock. In front of a live audience & TV millions, he did well to continue the show.— Jane V Carroll (@Jane V Carroll) 1695022787
@DEADLINE Rock was a victim of abuse in front of the world. The joke was funny. A very small % of ppl follow jada or the smiths. Violence is not the answer to their internal embarrassment or shame. She walked in w/pride and power & walked out with neither because of their actions.— D No (@D No) 1694994986
@thejasminebrand It doesn't justify hitting him....I hope Chris can recover from this.— ~For Colored Girls~ (@~For Colored Girls~) 1694790747
@Essence Mr Rock is smart and loving enough to get the help he needed.\nMy respect for this strong man is deeper having read this.— Douglas E (@Douglas E) 1695153683
@THR To seek counseling is a must these days. I think that was very wise! Such things give trauma!— JennaKaersenhout (@JennaKaersenhout) 1695115671
But several also noted that he, too, humiliated someone on live TV.
@VanityFair Yes, the slap was terrible, highly inappropriate, but, has Chris Rock evaluate also how he affects other people when make jokes about a physical condition?— Kat (@Kat) 1695074498
@Complex Did he also go to counseling for mouth trashing someone\u2019s wife ? And making fun of her while her husband and HER was front row. \n\nThere are levels of jokes too. I mean come on ..— Rah Rah (@Rah Rah) 1695141083
@Complex Woah really???? Sucks to be humiliated in front of millions of people on national TV huh?— Ugh, what a drag. (@Ugh, what a drag.) 1695142509
but he wasnt thinking about how humiliated Jada was when he decided to turn her into a punchline for nonblacks to laugh at, now was he?— miscellaneous gender abomination (still AMARI) (@miscellaneous gender abomination (still AMARI)) 1695145298
@Essence Imagine how the jokes about Jada Pinkett Smith's alopecia -- and other demeaning jokes by Chris Rock -- affected her and her family.— Camille (@Camille) 1695151329
Jones went on to say that she wished Smith had handled things differently by approaching Rock privately about the comments made about Jada.
She also said Smith should have led his acceptance speech for the Oscar he won later in the evening with an apology.
Leslie F*cking Jones: A Memoir dropped yesterday.
