Will Chris Rock attend the Oscars after humiliating slap?

If we think that being in the 2020s ensures any type of political correctness, we’re completely wrong. A year ago at The Oscars ceremony Chris Rock did a very bad joke on Jada Pinkett Smith’s alopecia, of all possible matters to do a joke on he chose a woman’s body.  This is not only incorrect but unacceptable all year long, but especially during these days of reflecting after women’s international day. 

On the other hand, Jada’s husband Will Smith did in reaction something quite questionable as well. During the next weeks after the 2022 Oscars ceremony no one would talk about which movie or actor took the prize, but about Will Smith’s slap! How to forget that moment when he stood up from the table he was at with his wife and gave Chris Rock a slap on his face. 

Afterwards, Will Smith received an academy award, and no one could stop talking about how incorrect his slap had been. Violence is never the best path, but something we do need to consider is that sometimes the only way to fight violence is by paying with the same coin. Also,  when violence is used in self defense it’s a different experience. But will Chris Rock ever be invited to the Academy ceremonies again? 

Will Chris Rock attend the 2023 Oscar’s ceremony? 

Smith went on to win Best Actor prize for his role in King Richard, yet, that wouldn’t buy the actor any kind of special consideration regarding the slap.By this moment you should already know that Smith got banned from the Oscars ceremony for ten years.  Although the actor soon recognized that what he had done was completely violent and incorrect, there’s an unavoidable price to pay for our actions. 

To all this, the actor responded through an instagram post the next day where he recognized he did wrong and offered apologies. “Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada’s medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally.” No matter if you liked The Prince of Bel Air, it’s hard not to emphasize or at least understand his reaction. 

Anyway, we know we won’t be seeing Smith’s face at The Oscars ceremony in a while, but what about Chris Rock? Well,  back in August 2022, the comedian revealed his declination to host the 2023 ceremony during one of his shows in downtown Phoenix. But why is that? Is there any other event that night that would pay him better? Or is he avoiding the trauma of standing back in that stage? 

What’s hiding behind the slap?

Will Smith might have committed physical violence towards Chris Rock, but the comedian was first guilty of committing aesthetic violence towards Pinkett.  Jada Pinkett Smith was publicly humiliated by a joke that made fun of something she has no control over. Medical conditions such as alopecia, like having a fat body, or a strong presence of body hair are situations out of our control. 

Not only are we incapable of controlling how our bodies look, the truth is that we shouldn’t feel any kind of guilt around it. We’re constantly stimulated with images of what a valuable, desirable and healthy body should look like. Comments & jokes like the one Rock did on Jada are just the tip of a huge and violent iceberg. Might this moment in life let us clear how incorrect it is to talk about someone else’s body! 

Also, in all this situation we should recognize the value of Jada Pinkett to present herself to the world as she is, unapologetically. This is still something that happens to normal people like us that have never attended an academy award! Presenting our bodies as they are will surely bring us many really bad jokes, comments and stares, but the power of self representation is the real award.