Many are still debating the slap situation that occurred between Will Smith and Chris Rock at the Oscars a little over a week ago. Plenty of viewers have sounded off on the matter via social media, but a number of high-profile stars have dropped thoughts as well. Mel Gibson recently became one of the latest to be asked his opinion on the polarizing topic. However, once that happened, the interview was immediately halted.
Mel Gibson appeared on Fox News’ Jesse Watters Primetime to promote his latest film, Father Stu. After posing a series of questions about the upcoming movie, Watters asked Gibson what he would’ve done had he been in Will Smith’s shoes. The actor seemed to cringe upon hearing the query and seemed to shake his palm in order to wave off the question. At that point, an off-camera voice chimed in to indicate that the chat was over. Check it out for yourself in the Twitter clip down below:
Exclusive one-on-one with Mel Gibson #FoxNews pic.twitter.com/C13wogYZSmApril 1, 2022
It’s clear that the Oscar winner, who has also been the subject of Hollywood chatter in the past, isn’t interested in getting in on the massive discussion. Let’s be honest, it’s totally fair that he wouldn’t want to weigh in. Still, it’s hard to deny the awkward nature of his on-air decision to plead the fifth.
Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the 94th Academy Awards after the comedian made a joke regarding Jada Pinkett Smith. Rock quipped that he was looking forward to seeing the Red Table Talk host star in G.I. Jane 2, a reference to Pinkett Smith having a shaved head amid her bout with alopecia. In the week following the altercation, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences initiated disciplinary action against Smith. The Gemini Man star also formally apologized to Rock, who declined to press charges, and eventually announced his resignation from the Academy.
When it comes to celebrity reactions to the moment, Jim Carrey was among those to condemn the actor’s actions. Carrey also stated that he was “sickened” when the King Richard star received a standing ovation later in the night when he won his Oscar. Zoë Kravitz also called out the star in a recent Instagram post. Meanwhile, ceremony co-host Wanda Sykes thought it was “gross” for the Fresh Prince alum to be allowed to remain at the show and accept the Academy Award for Best Actor.
However, Denzel Washington, who pulled Will Smith aside shortly after the incident, seemed to offer support for him. When Washington opened up about the incident, he asserted that “the devil” seemingly got a hold of the situation and pondered whether it was fair for the public to condemn Smith.
Other actors have taken a page out of Mel Gibson’s book and chosen not to share their two cents, though. Daniel Radcliffe, for example, was asked to share thoughts during a recent interview, and the actor provided an honest response. Radcliffe declared that he was “already dramatically bored of hearing people’s opinions” on it and did not “want to be another opinion adding to it.”
The discourse surrounding “slapgate” doesn’t appear to be slowing down, so it’s probably safe to assume that other stars will be asked their opinions in the near future. Though it’s hard to say if they’ll provide a response or opt out of answering like Mel Gibson did.
