Jim Carrey is no stranger to telling provocative jokes, which is likely why he has such a strong opinion when it comes to the slap heard around the world at the 2022 Oscars.
Unless you’ve been living under a very large rock, you’ll have watched/read of/heard about Will Smith striking Oscars host Chris Rock for making a joke at the expense of his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.
While Rock took the slap in his stride, the fallout has been widespread and fierce. Unsurprisingly, half the people on the planet seem to have an opinion on the debacle, including any number of well-known comedians who have come out in defence of Chris Rock.
One of them is ’90s screen legend Jim Carrey, himself no stranger to causing the odd bit of controversy with his humor.
Speaking to CBS News’ Gayle King on Monday, one day removed from the Oscars, The Grinch star revealed he would have filed a lawsuit against Smith had he been in Rock’s shoes, and also hit out at those in attendance at the Oscars gala.
“I’d have announced this morning that I was suing Will for $200 million,” said Carrey. “Because that video’s gonna be there forever. It’s gonna be ubiquitous. That insult is gonna last a very long time.”
Rock has so far not pressed any charges against Smith, but Carrey believes this is only because of the hassle involved in doing so.
At the event, Rock did his best to maintain a straight face and continue with proceedings after the slap, this in spite of Smith then twice shouting “keep my wife’s name out of your f*****g mouth’.
“If you wanna yell from the audience and disapprove … or say something on Twitter or whatever [, go ahead],” Carrey continued. “You do not have the right to walk up on stage and smack somebody in the face ’cause they said words.”
Less than an hour after slapping Rock, Smith claimed his first ever Oscar for Best Actor after his portrayal of the father of Venus and Serena Williams’ father in King Richard.
Carrey also went on record to state his belief that Smith’s earlier actions had “cast a pall over everybody’s shining moment.”
“It is no mean feat to go through all the stuff you have to go through when you’re nominated for an Oscar,” he said.
“It’s a gauntlet of devotion that you have to do. It was just a selfish moment that cast a pall over the whole thing.”
What do you think to all that went down at the Oscars? Was Will Smith in the right for defending his wife after Chris Rock’s joke? Or did he simply go too far?
Do you think that some comedians can cross the line sometimes? Or do they have license to given the nature of their work?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments box. And share this article on Facebook to help us keep the debate alive.
