Two years have passed since Will Smith's notorious slap of Chris Rock at the Academy Awards, and now Rob Schneider is finally sharing his thoughts.
In a recent interview on "The Kyle & Jackie O Show," Schneider, a friend of Rock, was asked if he had spoken to the actor-comedian after the 2022 Oscars incident.
"He didn't want to talk to anybody," Schneider remarked. "I don’t blame him. But it took him a while to get to a point where he could react to it because it was a lot. He's a very sensitive, great guy, and he’s literally a genius."
Schneider condemned Smith for hitting Rock onstage during the ceremony after the "Rustin" star made a joke about Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.
"Will Smith has been hiding the fact of who he really is, and it was exposed that night that he's really an (expletive)," Schneider claimed.
"It's a deep, dark thing to do that in front of all those people and to a really great, legendary comedian who's literally the best comedian of our generation."
When host Jackie O mentioned she thought Smith seemed kind after meeting him, Schneider responded by calling the "Bad Boys: Ride or Die" actor a "liar" and an "utter fraud."
The former "Saturday Night Live" writer mentioned that he was reportedly barred from commenting on the incident because he was part of an Academy Awards committee responsible for disciplining Smith.
"That's how politically correct the Academy is, that they were so cowardly,” Schneider said, adding that the organization was “worried about being racist.”
“The point is, violence is what it is. And whether the color of your skin or your religion, it doesn't matter. If you commit a crime in front of other people, you get hauled out of there."
Why did Will Smith slap Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars?
In March 2022, Rock took the stage at the 94th Academy Awards to present the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature. During his introduction, he joked about a potential "G.I. Jane" sequel, referencing Pinkett Smith's bald head.
Pinkett Smith has previously shared her experience with alopecia, an autoimmune skin condition that can lead to hair loss on the scalp, face, or other parts of the body, as described by the American Academy of Dermatology.
Initially, Smith seemed to laugh at Rock's joke, while Pinkett Smith rolled her eyes and appeared upset. Shortly afterward, Smith approached the stage, slapped Rock, and then returned to his seat, causing confusion among the audience about whether the incident was planned or spontaneous.
After the incident, the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences banned Smith from attending any Academy events, including the Oscars, for a decade. Smith had resigned from the Academy a week prior to the announcement of these disciplinary measures.
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