RABBIA MOLAI
campus editor
rabbia.molai@my.tccd.edu

The 2022 Oscars started like any other, but one infamous event managed to overshadow the entire evening.

During the ceremony March 27, comedian Chris Rock, who was hired to be one of the announcers, was making jokes when he turned to Jada Pinkett Smith and said, “Jada, I love you. G.I. Jane 2, can’t wait to see it.” The cameras then pointed to her husband Will Smith, who seemed to be laughing at the joke until he noticed Jada was not.

Smith proceeded to walk on stage and open hand slap Rock across the face before sitting back down and shouting, “Keep my wife’s name out your f—- mouth.” After getting over his initial shock, Rock continued with the rest of the show. 

“I don’t believe he was justified in his actions, but I do still think [Smith] was qualified to accept his award,” NE student Katherine Blake said. “I believe that in the moment, the comment may have caught him off guard, and with the high stress of the event, he acted in a more extreme manner than an individual would have normally. I can see why he did it, but I don’t think that excuses the violence.”

NE student Eli Miller doesn’t share Blake’s perspective. 

“I definitely think he was justified,” he said. “It looked like a way to correct Rock, not injure him. Smith’s reaction wasn’t any more public than Rock’s comment.”

Even though Smith’s altercation became the main conversation about the event, Miller was excited to see that “CODA” won some awards.

“CODA” won the award for best picture, beating out nine other nominees. It became the first film with a predominantly deaf cast to win the best picture category. Troy Kotsur is the first deaf male actor to win an Oscar. 

Will Smith won the best actor for his performance in “King Richard.” 

During his acceptance speech, Smith mentioned his actions and said, “I’m being called on in my life to love people and to protect people and to be a river to my people.”