Shock Jock Howard Stern says Will Smith demonstrated signs of “great mental illness” when the rapper slapped Chris Rock in the face during the live broadcast of the 2022 Academy Awards.
But he also said Chris Rock played it loose with a joke that was “beneath” him. Stern is used to saying slick stuff and derogatory jokes about people on this platform.
But he said: “This is a sign of great mental illness when you can’t control your impulse. Not only that, it was hardly an insulting joke. It was not even a good joke.”
“The joke, quite frankly, was beneath Chris Rock. It was a throwaway. ‘You look like G.I. Jane,'” Howard Stern added.
The SiriusXM Radio talk show host said Will Smith is “a guy who’s got real issues” for responding that way.
“He didn’t think twice about what he was about to do,” he continued. “Now that’s crazy when you can’t contain yourself like that…poor Chris Rock is a comedian and just trying to get through the day to make the f###### people laugh at that horrible ceremony,” Stern said.
“[Rock is] so fast comedy-wise, he actually covered and made a joke and said, ‘Gee, best Oscars yet.'” He added, “He was able to comment outside of what just happened to him, and then he got flustered. He got f##### over.”
“He got up, and he compared Jada Pinkett Smith to one of the most beautiful women in the world, Demi Moore,” Howard Stern continued. “You don’t hit people over speech, certainly not at the Academy Awards, and Will Smith’s got to contain himself.”
Howard Stern said he also thought the slap was staged until realizing Will Smith was defending his Black wife — who has been the butt of many jokes over the last few years.
“The first thing I said to my wife, ‘The f### is going on? Is this a bit? Because, where’s security?'” he told his audience. “This is a live television event. Not one person came out because he’s Will Smith.”
Will Smith, an African American man from the Wynnefield section of West Philadelphia, is one of Hollywood’s most recognized and important movie stars.
“This is how [Donald] Trump gets away with s### … Will Smith and Trump are the same guy. He decided he’s going to take matters into his own hands at a time when the world is at war. Bad timing, man, calm your f###### ass down.”
Howard Stern believes Smith should have been arrested on assault charges, despite Chris Rock not pressing charges.