The 2022 Academy Awards happened a month ago, but the ceremony has continued to inspire headlines and discourse. This is, of course, due to Will Smith infamously slapping Chris Rock on camera, and the fallout that occurred as a result. Now SAG Award nominated actor Terry Crews has offered his honest take on the slap drama.
In the month since the slap shocked the world and broke the internet, plenty of notable celebrities have offered their two cents on the situation. Terry Crews has waited this long, but offered his perspective on the viral drama as someone who knows both Chris Rock and Will Smith. The Brooklyn Nine-Nine actor shared this feelings to THR, saying:
Both Will Smith and Chris Rock are dear, dear friends of mine. I love them both as brothers, but there was a time in my life [where] I was Will Smith at that moment and let me tell you, I’ve done worse than Will — way overkill, just … the punishment did not fit the crime. Like people were like, ‘What in the world are you doing?’ My wife even had to be like, ‘You got to promise me you will never go off like this. You did not need to pick this man up and put him on his head, on the concrete.
There you have it. While Terry Crews definitely doesn’t seem pro-violence, he’s got his own perspective on Will Smith and Chris Rock’s scuffle at the Oscars. He claims he’s been just as heated as Smith in his past, so he’s able to have empathy. What’s more, Crews seems to take umbrage with exactly how the recent Oscar winning actor was punished as a result of the incident.
The fallout from the slap has been pretty intense for Will Smith. After issuing an apology and resigning from the Academy, he was banned from attending the Oscars for the next decade. What’s more, a number of Smith’s upcoming projects have been put on hold. As for Chris Rock, he’s currently on tour, and making only brief references to the incident.
In his same interview, Terry Crews tipped his hat to Chris Rock for maintaining his composure after being slapped by Will Smith on live television. While the comedian was clearly shocked throughout the rest of his appearance, he kept the show going and didn’t retaliate as Smith proceeded to scream at him from his seat. As Crews put it,
But the true definition of toughness was what Chris did in taking a punch and then holding everything together and then showing tremendous endurance and resilience in the middle of obstacles. … I’m very thankful to Chris, but also I understand Will. I’m not [one] to demonize Will at all because I was there.
Clearly Terry Crews has a ton of love for both Will Smith and Chris Rock. And while he doesn’t seem to be condoning the slap, he once again maintains that he’s been “there” before, and gotten into a similar headspace. And as such, he doesn’t want to demonize his friend and colleague for a mistake Crews could have made years ago.
Terry Crews continues to stay busy with TV projects, recently joining the Walking Dead universe. Be sure to check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
