Jada Pinkett Smith LAUGHING after Will Smith smacked Chris Rock in NEW f...
The video posted to TikTok was shot from the floor of the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on Sunday, from a vantage point directly behind the table where Smith and Pinkett Smith were seated. Though her face cannot be seen clearly, Pinkett Smith appears to laugh in the immediate aftermath of the slap, as Rock reacts by saying: ‘Wow, Will Smith just smacked the st out of me.’ The actress, 50, glances briefly at her husband as he shouts for the first time: ‘Keep my wife’s name out your f*ing mouth.’ However, she keeps her eyes fixed on Rock as Smith repeats his demand at a louder volume. Pinkett Smith then appears to chuckle again as Rock states: ‘The greatest night in the history of television.’ The new video comes as Rock speaks out for the first time since the infamous incident, briefly addressing the matter in his first stand-up act since the Oscars. Rock on Wednesday night told an audience at his sold-out comedy show in Boston that he was ‘still processing’ being slapped on stage by Smith at the Oscars, in his first public response to Sunday’s shocking incident.
With the crowd all handing over their cell phones before the show began, the former Saturday Night Live star was greeted with a long standing ovation in the first of two sets he performed Wednesday as part for his Ego Death Tour. However, the usually-uninhibited funnyman quickly shut down any hopes he would crack jokes about the slap heard round the world to the 3,000 fans in the audience, some of whom reportedly paid nearly $1,000 for a ticket. Twice during the first show, a couple of members of the audience shouted: ‘Will Smith,’ drawing a far louder chorus of boos. Police confirmed that the man was maced and kicked out of the theater by multiple security guards. The kerfuffle disrupted Rock, who responded the second time by saying: ‘Is this how this tour is going to go?’ Later Rock commented on his life in general, saying that ‘except for some weird things, life is pretty good right now.’ The crowd laughed, knowing exactly what the ‘weird things’ referred to. Rock seemed unfazed as he delivered his typically high-energy routine, keeping the crowd roaring and gasping as he joked about everything from overweight people at Disney parks, to his decision to get a vasectomy after seeing a 78-year-old Robert De Niro walking around with a child. He joked about how he spends all his money on women, and wryly recommended his ex-wife’s divorce lawyer to the audience, for winning her half his fortune without her ever telling a joke. The Academy said on Wednesday he ignored the request from the president, David Rubin, and CEO, Dawn Hudson, to leave, and that he had violated their code of conduct. Shortly after, Smith was announced as the winner of the best actor award and went up to collect his statuette to a standing ovation from many of his peers. On Wednesday the Academy said it had launched ‘disciplinary procedures’ against Smith, and confirmed he ignored their request for him to leave his seat. They also apologized to Rock. Two sources told the TMZ Rubin and Hudson were ‘furious’ at Smith, and there was plenty of ‘yelling’ and ‘heated conversations’ backstage with his reps after the incident. The statement said, ’The Board of Governors today initiated disciplinary proceedings against Mr. Smith for violations of the Academy’s Standards of Conduct, including inappropriate physical contact, abusive or threatening behavior, and compromising the integrity of the Academy. Mr. Smith was asked to leave the ceremony and refused, [but] we also recognize we could have handled the situation differently.’ Smith will receive 15 days notice of a vote as well as an opportunity to be heard by written response. At the next board meeting – scheduled for April 18 – the Academy may take action that could include ‘suspension, expulsion, or other sanctions permitted by the Bylaws and Standards of Conduct.’ In his acceptance speech, Smith apologized to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences – whose members vote for the awards, and who stages the ceremony – but stopped short of apologizing to Rock. Smith initially laughed off the attack, writing on Instagram on Sunday evening: ‘You can’t invite people from Philly or Baltimore nowhere!!’ Yet as the gravity of the situation became clear, Smith then posted a public apology to Instagram 24 hours after the ceremony, saying he wanted to say sorry formally to Chris Rock. He said his behavior was ‘unacceptable and inexcusable’ and left him ’embarrassed’.
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