Radio host Howard Stern likened Will Smith to former President Donald Trump after the actor slapped comedian Chris Rock across the face onstage during the 94th Academy Awards on Sunday.
“He opened hand with a lot of force, smacks him right in the mouth on TV,” Stern said during the Monday episode of his SiriusXM show, the Howard Stern Show, according to Mediaite. “Now the first thing I said to myself was, ‘What the f*** is going on? Is this a bit?’ because where is security?”
<mediadc-video-embed data-state="{"cms.site.owner":{"_ref":"00000161-3486-d333-a9e9-76c6fbf30000","_type":"00000161-3461-dd66-ab67-fd6b93390000"},"cms.content.publishDate":1648522257800,"cms.content.publishUser":{"_ref":"0000017b-ef41-d8d6-a57b-ffd1ee570000","_type":"00000161-3461-dd66-ab67-fd6b933a0007"},"cms.content.updateDate":1648522257800,"cms.content.updateUser":{"_ref":"0000017b-ef41-d8d6-a57b-ffd1ee570000","_type":"00000161-3461-dd66-ab67-fd6b933a0007"},"rawHtml":"
var _bp = _bp||[]; _bp.push({ "div": "Brid_48521972", "obj": {"id":"27789","width":"16","height":"9","video":"813469"} }); ","_id":"0000017f-d395-d6e1-a17f-f7bf56030000","_type":"2f5a8339-a89a-3738-9cd2-3ddf0c8da574"}”>Video Embed
BRITISH PARLIAMENT INVITES WILL SMITH TO SPEAK ON ‘ONE PUNCH ASSAULT’ AFTER CHRIS ROCK SLAP
Smith slapped Rock onstage after the host of the awards show made a joke mocking the short hairstyle of his wife, actress Jada Pinkett Smith. The actress has alopecia, a condition that causes hair loss.
“Jada, I love you. G.I. Jane 2, can’t wait to see it,” Rock said. Smith initially seemed to laugh at the joke, while Pinkett Smith appeared to look irritated. Moments later, Smith walked onstage toward Rock and slapped him. Upon returning to his seat, Smith yelled at Rock to keep his wife’s name out of his “f****** mouth.”
“Wow, Will Smith just smacked the s*** out of me,” Rock said as the show continued.
Stern noted this was a live TV event, although the profanity was censored by ABC with the help of a tape delay, and continued to harp on security not jumping into the fray.
“Not one person came out because he’s Will Smith,” said Stern, who pointed out that “this is how Trump gets away with s***. Will Smith and Trump are the same guy. He decided he’s going to take matters into his own hands.”
“At a time when the world is at war, bad timing, man. Calm your f****** a** down,” Stern said, referring to Russia’s war in Ukraine.
After co-host Robin Quivers said, “It shows where we are as human beings. You can’t even say something in a room without a war breaking out,” Stern took a moment to reflect on Rock, whom he described as “flustered. He was obviously, his head, he got f***** over.”
Actress and Trump critic Rosie O’Donnell also compared Smith to Trump.
She said that “like the Trump years — we don’t hold accountable.” O’Donnell also described Smith as being a “narcissistic madman” and accused the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences of not doing anything.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
However, since making those comments, Smith issued an apology to Rock, and the academy announced an investigation into the stunning Hollywood incident.
Rock has not filed a police report, though the incident has left many people divided on how to respond, including raising the question of whether Smith should have his Oscar taken away. Shortly after the slap, Smith won best actor for his role in King Richard, which tells the story of the father of tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams. During his acceptance speech, Smith offered an apology to the academy and his “fellow nominees” but did not mention Rock.
