It has been over a year since the infamous Oscars slap that led to the near-canceling of Will Smith. Now another Academy Awards ceremony has been and gone, but Smith’s attack on Chris Rock in front of millions of people is still the subject of debate. Close friend of Smith, Cedric the Entertainer, has recently spoken about what he believes is a miscarriage of justice led to the backlash against Smith, and is is something that shouldn’t happen because everyone is allowed to make human mistakes.
Cedric, who is best known for his stand-up comedy and starring in movies like Barbershop and The Neighborhood, expressed his feelings on the subject to The Daily Mail. While addressing how he believes Smith has been the subject of “internet reaction”, the comedian said that there is also more to the whole incident than just the joke. He said:
“People are human beings and they make human mistakes.So this idea of canceling people out of their lives and saying they can't exist anymore or they shouldn't, I feel that that's a bridge too far. And it's usually done in the sense of blind internet power. It is people that have no real attachment to it, just giving an opinion for the moment, and then they jump on the wave and they create this thing that comes rushing at you that makes you look like the worst human being in the world. When it was a one mistake, it was a mistake.”
Cedric went on hit back at the idea of canceling anyone for a mistake, no matter what the reason, or who they are.
“For me, I think the idea of canceling people for any kind of act, if it's not doing something to children, or a woman as a man, then again, if you're just, create an act, drunk driving or adultery, all these things that people want to cancel folks for; I feel like, again, we just don't allow ourselves enough opportunity to be human.”
Will Smith’s Slap Was Not Just About The Oscars Joke.
Although the initial reaction to Will Smith’s slapping of Chris Rock heavily suggested that he had overreacted to a single joke made about his wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith, but Cedric debunked that idea. According to him, the slap was the result of long history of beef between Rock and Smith that just cumulated in that night.
“A lot of people thought that it was the joke itself, but obviously there was true undertones that led to that kind of behavior, especially from Will Smith and from Chris Rock, to be honest. Eventually as a men, there is a degree of, both of them had great falls because of that.”
The comedian ended his thoughts by saying that in time a line has be drawn in the sand and everyone will move on, but not necessarily in the immediate future.
“I do feel like, again, it was some things that the lines were crossed, like real lines.I think that we would love for the world to be a place where we could just get over it and get past it. But again, when people draw lines in the sand sometimes you get those hard arguments that we're going to have to deal with and may not be ready to deal with. But I am encouraged that they will get to it though.”
Will Smith is currently filming Bad Boys 4, which will be one the big tests as to how the public have moved on from last year’s Oscars incident.