Actor Jim Carrey didn’t mince words when asked Monday about Will Smith’s now-infamous Oscars slap.
Carrey called Hollywood “spineless” for giving Smith a standing ovation just minutes after he stormed the stage and slapped Chris Rock in front of millions after the comedian joked about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.
“I was sickened. I was sickened by the standing ovation,” Carrey told CBS Mornings. “I felt like Hollywood is just spineless en masse, and it just really felt like, ‘Oh, this is a really clear indication that we’re not the cool club anymore.'”
The actor went on to say he believes Smith should have been escorted from the Academy Awards after hitting Rock, yet lamented the fact Smith was allowed to accept his Best Actor award amid accolades from those in the room.
Watch Carrey’s comments at the 3:30-mark:
Responses to Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars have been divided — but Jenna Wortham (@jennydeluxe) says most people don’t have the full story of the incident.
— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) March 29, 2022
“It’s something of a magnitude that I don’t think can be worked out on a public stage,” she says. pic.twitter.com/5qXIq30Y1F
Carrey said he believes Rock should have taken action against Smith, something the comedian declined to do.
“I’d have announced this morning that I was suing Will for $200 million, because that video is going to be there forever,” he told CBS. “It’s going to be ubiquitous. That insult is gonna last a very long time.”
While the actor saw no problem with Smith pushing back or peacefully showing disapproval, he said there was no excuse for what unfolded.
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“If you want to yell from the audience and disapprove or show a disapproval or say something on Twitter,” Carrey said. “You do not have the right to walk up on stage and smack somebody in the face because they said words.”
He argued the attack came “out of nowhere” and said it stems from the fact that he believes “Will has something going on inside of him that’s frustrated.”
While Carrey said he wishes Smith the best, he argued the moment took a lot away from other actors who had worked very hard to be nominated for an Oscar.
“It was just a selfish moment,” Carrey concluded.
As CBN News reported, Smith apologized directly to Rock in a statement published Monday on social media.
The apology came as The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said it’s considering “further actions and consequences” against Smith.
“Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive. My behavior at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable,” the statement read, in part. “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.”
Read more about how some Christian leaders have reacted to the altercation.
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