Whoopi Goldbergfeels the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences handled theWill Smithincident with Chris Rock the best they could duringthe Oscars.
OnThe Viewpanel Tuesday morning, the Oscar winner — who has previously hosted the awards ceremony — discussed Will’spublic apology afterthe Best Actor winner went onstage and struck comedian Rock over a joke made about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith.
Goldberg said “nobody is okay with what happened,” however, she appreciated Will’s apology, in which he apologized to Rock and admitted, “I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness.”
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“The reason no one got up to go comfort Chris is because they weren’t gonna let anybody else on the stage,” she said. “There were people there for Chris. Thereason people got up and went over to [Will] is because I think a lot of people thought, ‘Oh my God, is he having a break? Do we need to get him out? What do we need to do?’ "
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“The reason they didn’t go and take him out is because that would’ve been another 15-, 20-minute explanation of why we’re taking the Black man out, five seconds before they’re about to decide whether he’s won an Oscar or not. I believe [producer]Will Packermade the right decision. He said let’s get through the rest of this so we can deal with it wholeheartedly. So that’s what went on.”
“This is not the first time craziness has happened onstage, but this is the first time we’ve seen anybody assault anybody onstage,” added Goldberg.
Goldberg acknowledged that Rock “was the victim” in the situation, but “Chris took care of business and he is the adult who said you know what, I get it, I’m gonna let this do what it needs to do. We all saw. We know what happened.”
Chris Rock; Will Smith.Getty (2)
In his apology Monday, Will said, “Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive. My behavior at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable. Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke aboutJada’s medical conditionwas too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally.”
He added, “I would also like to apologize to the Academy, the producers of the show, all the attendees and everyone watching around the world. I would like to apologize to the Williams Family and myKing RichardFamily. I deeply regret that my behavior has stained what has been an otherwise gorgeous journey for all of us. I am a work in progress.”
Rock has not yet spoken out since the incident, and hedeclined to press charges.
On Monday afternoon, the Academy said in a statement, “The Academy condemns the actions of Mr. Smith at last night’s show. We haveofficially started a formal reviewaround the incident and will explore further action and consequences in accordance with our Bylaws, Standards of Conduct and California law.”
source: people.com
