The Slap Seen Around The World

Story by Kayla Adames. Photo courtesy of The New Yorker.

Did you watch the Oscars this year? If you did, and even if you maybe didn’t, you definitely saw Will Smith slap Chris Rock. Now, without any context, it may seem like he did it for no reason. Yet, there was actually a reason as to why actor Will Smith would do such a thing, and that reason, to some, is kind of sweet.

At the awards that night Chris Rock was on stage making jokes. As it happens, he made a joke about Jada Smith’s newly shaven head. Now the reason for Mrs. Smith's newly shaven head wasn’t due to stylistic choice, but actually due to alopecia, an autoimmune disease. Diseases like this one can affect hair, creating hair loss for the people that have it, and shaving their hair off is one way people with alopecia deal with it. The joke was “Jada, I love ya. G.I. Jane 2, can’t wait to see it.” This joke did not settle well with Jada’s husband, Will Smith. Seconds later Smith would make the decision to walk up to Rock on stage and slap him, all on live TV. 

After all of this, he did apologize for the whole slap incident while receiving his Oscar for Best Actor in the movie King Richard. However, I think he would probably do it all over again for his wife if she were ever insulted like this again. So, what's your opinion of this incident, and would you defend a loved one like this? I know I surely would. 

Kayla Adames is a 7th grade scholar at Friendship Woodridge International School.