JIM Carrey has weighed in on the altercation between Will Smith and Chris Rock at the Oscars, calling the actor “selfish” for slapping the comedian onstage.
The 60-year-old comic also criticized the audience for giving the King Richard actor a standing ovation upon accepting his Best Actor award shortly after.
Jim shared his thoughts on Good Morning America to journalist Gayle King, making it clear that he does not condone Will’s behavior.
“I was sickened, I was sickened by the standing ovation,” the Ace Ventura star explained during the virtual interview.
He continued to voice his disapproval of those in attendance who supported the Fresh Prince of Bel Air star following the altercation.
“I felt like Hollywood is just spineless, on mass. It really felt like a really clear indication that we’re not the cool club anymore,” he continued.
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Gayle then mentioned viewers concerns over how the situation played out and why security did not intervene.
The LAPD later confirmed that Chris would not be pressing charges over the matter, though Jim feels the actor should be punished.
“He doesn’t want the hassle.
“I [would have] announced this morning that I was suing Will for $200million because that video’s gonna be there forever. It’s gonna be ubiquitous,” Carrey continued.
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“You know, that insult is gonna last a very long time.”
The Bruce Almighty star continued his thought, saying Will’s behavior was out-of-line and could have been handled in a different manner.
“If you want to yell from the audience and disapprove or show a disapproval or say something on Twitter or whatever, you know,” he added.
“You do not have the right to walk up on stage and smack somebody in the face because they said words.”
Jim went on to rip the Men In Black star for his unexpected outburst saying: “It didn’t escalate. It came out of nowhere because Will has something going on inside him that’s frustrated.”
The comedian then sympathized with Will and pointed out his admiration for the star’s work, although he was not pleased with his conduct at the ceremony.
“I wish him the best. I don’t have anything against Will Smith, he’s done great things.
“But that was not a good moment.
“It cast an appall over everybody’s shining moment last night, you know,” he added.
“A lot of people worked really hard to get to that place and to have their moment in the sun and to get their award for the really hard work they did and it is no mean feat to go through.
“All the stuff you have to go through when you’re nominated for an Oscar. It’s a gauntlet of devotion that you have to do.
“And, you know, it was just a selfish moment to cast appall over the whole thing.
SHOCKING SLAP
Will’s reaction was in response to Chris’ ill-received joke about his wife Jada’s hair.
The Grown Ups star had the mic to present the award for Best Documentary when he made the crack referencing her hair loss.
He said: “Jada, I love you. GI Jane 2, can’t wait to see you.”
Moments after the joke, Will, 53, walked on stage and appeared to hit Chris in the face.
While confused viewers thought the slap was a prank, they quickly realized Will’s actions were real after the rapper yelled back to Chris from his seat.
“Keep my wife’s name out of your f****** mouth,” Will yelled.
Chris was captured laughing after being hit and saying: “Will Smith just smacked the s*** out of me.”
Jada, 50, suffers from alopecia, which she’s spoken openly about on her Red Table Talk show.
Her condition, which sources claimed Chris, 57, was unaware of, led to her decision to shave her head in July 2021.
BYE, BYE AWARD?
Although the Saturday Night Live alum opted not to file a police report, Will may be facing consequences from the Academy.
The Wild Wild West singer apologized to the Academy during his acceptance speech, and sent out a separate apology to Chris the following day, although, the organization is considering having his award revoked.
However, Whoopi Goldberg who is the Governor of the Academy’s Actors branch, defended Will’s actions on Monday and insisted he won’t be stripped of his award.
She said on The View: “We’re not going to take that Oscar from him.
“There will be consequences I’m sure, but I don’t think that’s what they’re going to do, particularly because Chris said ‘Listen, I’m not pressing any charges.'”
An official spokesperson said on Monday: “The Academy condemns the actions of Mr Smith at last night’s show.
“We have officially started a formal review around the incident and will explore further action and consequences in accordance with our Bylaws, Standards of Conduct and California law.”
