Jim Carrey 'Sickened' Over Standing Ovation For Will Smith; Calls Actor 'Selfish' And Hollywood 'Spineless'
Jim Carrey did not hold back from sharing his thoughts about the now-infamous slap incident at the Oscars. He called Will Smith’s actions “selfish,” while Hollywood, in general, “spineless.”
Cheat Sheet said that the “Bruce Almighty” actor talked about the matter in an interview with Gayle King for “CBS Mornings.” He began with the standing ovation that Smith received after giving his Best Actor speech.
Carrey said that he was “sickened” by it, adding that “Hollywood is just spineless en masse.” He, also, noted that it felt like it is a “clear indication” of it becoming no longer a “cool club.”
Jim Carrey, then, moved on to calling the moment “selfish” as it “cast a pall over the whole thing.” He explained that individuals worked hard “to get to that place, to have their moment in the sun, and to get their award for the really hard work they did.”
However, it was “not a good moment” as it overshadowed “everybody’s shining moment.” The comedian, nevertheless, stated that he does not have anything against Will Smith before noting that “he has done great things” and wishes him the best.
Elsewhere in the interview, Jim Carrey believes that Smith “should have been” removed by security after slapping Chris Rock on stage. He asserted that he would have announced suing the “King Richard” actor for $200 million “because the video is going to be there forever.”
The “Mask” star continued that it is “going to be ubiquitous” and the “insult is [going to] last a very long time.” He consequently said that it would have been more appropriate had Smith yelled from his seat or had he posted something on Twitter to show disapproval.
Overall, Carrey emphasized that one does not have the “right to walk up on stage and smack somebody in the face because they said words.”
Apart from Jim Carrey, other celebrities, also, weighed in on the "slap incident" at the Oscars. NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is one of them upon penning a blog post titled, “Will Smith Did A Bad, Bad Thing,” according to USA Today.
Writing for the post, the athlete star insisted that Will Smith “advocated violence, diminished women, insulted the entertainment industry, and perpetuated stereotypes about the Black community” with a “single petulant blow.” He, also, pointed out that the “Focus” actor gave “comfort to the enemy by providing them with the perfect optics.”
In the latter part of his material, Abdul-Jabbar described “Smith’s tearful, self-serving acceptance speech” as “worse” than the slap he gave Chris Rock. He explained that it was “about justifying his violence,” adding that “those who protect do not brag about it in front of 15 million people.”