It's been months since the shocking "Oscar slap" between Will Smith and Chris Rock occurred at the 92nd Academy Awards, but the incident still continues to spark conversations today. Contributing to the discourse is none other than Jada Pinkett Smith, the Independence Day star's wife, who finally addressed the widely-televised altercation on her Red Table Talk series via Facebook Watch.
In her statement, Jada Pinkett Smith called out Will Smith and Rock directly, saying that she hopes both actors can eventually talk the matter out and come to a peaceful reconciliation. While that may seem like a promising, forward-looking outlook, some people were not pleased with Jada Pinkett Smith's message, least of all Vivica A. Fox, Will Smith's former Independence Day co-star.
Fox reacted to the episode on The Wendy Williams Show, criticizing The Matrix Reloaded actress for taking "no accountability" for her part in Will Smith's actions. She first prefaced her response by admitting that the incident was a difficult one for her to speak about, especially since she has worked with both Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith on separate film projects in the past: Set It Off and Independence Day, respectively. "These are my peers," she said emotionally.
Fox then went on to say that she cried after watching Jada Pinkett Smith's address. She explained that she felt like a partner to Will Smith given their professional history and that she was rooting for him to win. She also said she believed he was going to be crowned "this generation's Sidney Poitier" that night. In her view, Will Smith slapped Rock in defence of Jada Pinkett Smith's honor, so by default, Jada Pinkett Smith is also accountable for the assault that unfolded. By not addressing her involvement in the situation that effectively caused her husband's career to "crumble," Fox says Jada Pinkett Smith's comments were not good enough and that they only came off as "self-righteous."
On a night when diversity was being celebrated to the fullest, with Will Smith's Best Actor win for King Richard, Ariana DeBose's Best Supporting Actress win for West Side Story, and even CODA's Best Picture win, Fox says that the "Oscar slap" will leave those achievements forever scarred. As for Rock's alopecia joke, Fox came to its defence, saying that she really felt it wasn't that bad. At this point in time, Will Smith is still banned from future Academy Award ceremonies for at least 10 years, and several studios have been dropping him from their projects, including Netflix's Fast and Loose and Bright 2.
Independence Day is available on Amazon Prime Video.
Source: The Wendy Williams Show