Actor Faizon Love is not exactly one to hold back his opinion on things that bother him. This week, the Friday and Couples Retreat actor spoke about the time when celebrities were planning to boycott the 88th Academy Awards over lack of diversity. One of those celebrities was Jada Pinkett Smith. Now, following the eventful 2022 Oscars ceremony, Friday’s Faizon Love shared his thoughts on Jada Pinkett Smith boycotting the Academy Awards until her husband, Will Smith, got nominated.
In 2016, a big topic of discussion was the longstanding awards ceremony only nominating white actors in the four major categories. After Will Smith was snubbed for his lead role in Concussion that year, Jada Pinkett Smith took a stand by not attending the Oscar ceremony. On VladTV, Faizon Love expressed his irritation at Jada Pinkett Smith for ending her boycott after her husband, Will Smith, got nominated for Best Actor for King Richard.
She just told motherfuckers ‘Fuck the Oscars. We boycotting the Oscars.’ I was like, ’I don’t watch ‘em, I don’t give a fuck.’ Now, I forgot what movie Will did and you know, they didn’t see whatever the Oscars, so she’s like, ‘We’re boycotting the Oscars.’ That year, Chris [Rock] was hosting. She asked him to step down, step down from feeding your family. Now, when you say that [you aren’t going over lack of diversity], when you say that you can’t come when you get nominated!
Back in 2016, celebrities like Jada Pinkett Smith spreading awareness via means of the trending hashtag #OscarsSoWhite. Smith also took out her frustration at The Academy through a Facebook video where she said she would not be attending the Oscars ceremony that year after her husband got snubbed and wouldn’t even watch at home. She stated, “begging for acknowledgment or even asking diminishes dignity and diminishes power and we are a dignified people and we are powerful, let’s not forget it." Will Smith supported his wife in her mission and also did not attend the Oscars that year.
Everything seemingly changed when Will Smith started gaining Oscar buzz for his role as the father of tennis players Venus and Serena Williams in King Richard. Will and Jada Pinkett Smith were both present at the ceremony to hear Will Smith’s name called out after he won Best Actor and gave a passionate acceptance speech. In circumstances like these, it raises the question as to whether or not it is important to stand by your principles or stand by your man. Looks like Jada Pinkett Smith chose the latter.
This topic actually came up between Chris Rock and Jada Pinkett Smith previously. He first called out Jada Pinkett Smith on her boycott when he hosted the 88th Academy Awards and said “Jada boycotting the Oscars is like me boycotting Rihanna's panties. I wasn't invited." The Girls Trip actress claimed she wasn’t bothered by the joke and was determined to “keep moving.”
When Chris Rock made another joke about Jada Pinkett Smith while working as a presenter for the 94th Academy Awards, her husband was not at all happy about that. After Rock called Pinkett “G.I. Jane” as a reference to her shaved head, Will Smith slapped Chris Rock on stage. Pinkett shared her response to the joke on a TikTok about “not giving two craps” about what people say about her hair loss.
In the time since, Will Smith formally apologized to Chris Rock, though two of his upcoming movies have been put on hold. The Academy presented Will Smith with a punishment where he has been put on a 10-year ban from the ceremony. He’s free to be nominated and win for his projects, but will not be allowed to be present at the ceremony to accept them. As Jada Pinkett Smith continues to step out into the spotlight, it looks like The Smiths will continue to “keep moving.”
