'The View' slams 'violent' Will Smith for 'slap heard 'round the world'
The co-hosts praised Chris Rock for his handling of the altercation and for not escalating further.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The co-hosts of ABC's "The View" went after actor Will Smith over his behavior at Sunday night's Oscars, in which he physically assaulted host Chris Rock for making a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith's hair.
During the opening segment of Monday's show, the co-hosts slammed Smith for "overreacting" to Rock's joke, referring to his actions as "a crime," "immature," "childish," and "violent."
Ana Navarro, Will Smith and Sunny Hostin (Getty Images)
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Co-host Whoopi Goldberg began the segment by playing a video clip of the interaction between Smith and Rock.
"Jada, I love you. G.I. Jane 2, I can't wait to see it," Rock joked during the show in a reference Pinkett Smith's shaved head, a new hairstyle she took on as part of her battle with alopecia.
Pinkett Smith appeared disgruntled by the joke and Smith proceeded to walk onto the stage and slap Rock in the face.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Keep my wife's name out your f-----g mouth," Smith screamed after returning to his seat.
The clip also showed Smith later apologizing to the Academy and to his fellow nominees while accepting his Oscar. He, however, did not apologize to Rock.
"Comedians are in danger everywhere," co-host Joy Behar reacted after watching the clip, lamenting that people want comedians to tell jokes but then get mad at some of the content.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}She argued that a more appropriate response from Smith would have been to walk away from the situation, adding that it was "shocking."
Will Smith yells at Chris Rock from his seat at the Oscar's after physically assaulting him on stage on Sunday, March 27, 2022. (Screenshot/ABC) (ABC)
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Co-host Ana Navarro chimed in that "hitting somebody is a crime."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}She admitted that she thought Rock's joke was "lame" and "in poor taste," citing Pinkett Smith's battle with alopecia, but argued the situation boiled down to "men behaving badly."
"Nothing … condones violence in this form," she added.
"I was embarrassed for Will. I was horrified for Chris Rock. I mean, Will apologized to the Academy, and he apologized to his colleagues and the other nominees, but he didn’t apologize to Chris Rock," co-host Sunny Hostin said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I thought Chris was the one that deserved an apology for taking the high road. He was slapped in front of millions of people internationally, and he took the high road in his response. I think that Will was immature. I think he was childish, and I think he was violent," she added.
Will Smith, right, hits presenter Chris Rock on stage while presenting the award for best documentary feature at the Oscars on Sunday, March 27, 2022, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello) (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
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Hostin expressed her disappointment that people attending the event showed support for Smith following the interaction, giving him a standing ovation after his apology. She argued that children would be suspended from school for taking such action and that he should have been able to use his skill with words, as an award-winning rapper, to say something rather than resort to violence.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}She went on to describe Smith's actions as a show of "toxic masculinity," and argued later in the show that "the slap heard 'round the world" took away from the attention deserved to other award winners at the event.
Goldberg ended the segment by admitting that Smith "overreacted," and praised Rock's "remarkable" handling of the situation by not escalating it.