“It took away from the Oscar win that came behind it.” No, it didn’t. I was still very happy for Quest Love’s groundbreaking win for his documentary “Summer of Soul”, as were many other viewers. The show went on, and his win was celebrated as much as any other winner.

“Will should’ve immediately been escorted out of the building.” Why? To disrupt the show’s momentum even more? These were 2 men that knew each other and have history, having a public moment. This isn’t the first time Chris has told a distasteful joke about Jada. We now know through confirmation from the LAPD, that “someone” called the police, and Chris Rock was adamant about not pressing charges. In my opinion, if Chris Rock wasn’t pressing charges, then there was no need to escort Will out the building. I think Chris knows now that he went too far and did not want to make it more of a spectacle, and if so, kudos to him for owning his part in all of this, and doing what was best for the show. Some have even fibbed and said Will was asked to leave and refused, when the producer of the show said that’s not true. Again, we really don’t and won’t know what actually happened in the aftermath of this unfortunate event.

“It made US look bad.” Us, meaning Black people. If you’re Black, this goes back to what a lot of our grandmothers always told us when we were going to be in “mixed company”: “Don’t you embarrass me in front of all these white people.” I roll my eyes at this one because, I don’t feel that simply because our narrative unfairly and heavily leans to a stereotypical negative, that we should intentionally conceal or hide behind the negative. We should all just be who we are, flawed people who get it right sometimes, and sometimes get it wrong. And don’t get me started with all the hypotheticals. (more eye-rolling)

“Maybe Chris Rock didn’t know she had a medical condition.” Ummm, soooo, if everyone and everything is fair game to a comedian on a stage, shouldn’t they at least vet the joke? And here in lies the problem. A simple “Jada, bald” google search would’ve told you all you needed to know. And this from the man who produced a movie back in the day, “Good Hair”, because he wanted his 2 daughters to be secure in their beautiful coarse, kinky curls when they were bullied about it. You can check out “Good Hair” HERE. (Just FYI… most Black girls’ hair is considered “bad hair” because it’s not like that of their non-Black counterparts.) If you’ve never had a white person come up and ask if they can touch your hair, you wouldn’t understand. So a man that’s this sensitive about Black women’s hair writes a joke poking fun at a Black woman’s hair or lack thereof? I’m a little skeptical of that one.

“It’s not like its Cancer. Her condition is probably caused by all the extensions and braiding she’s done over the years.” There is such a thing as “weave alopecia” but that’s not what she has. It’s such a catty thing to say. Like it’s somehow her fault and therefore she should not be privy to empathy and compassion over her emotional trauma. So, because someone ate unhealthy for years, it’s cool to joke about them dying from diabetes? Or the person who got free from alcohol but now has liver disease? It’s their fault so their fair game to joke about? Here’s a fun fact: The Crown Act which began as a bill in California, has passed the House on it’s way to becoming the law of the land, to ensure protection against discrimination based on race-based hairstyles by extending statutory protection to hair texture and protective styles such as braids, locs, twists, and knots in the workplace and public schools. You can read about it HERE.

“There is no excuse for violence.” I agree??? Sort of??? I believe there may not be an acceptable excuse for it, but I understand it. I agree that the non-violent way is always on the table as a choice. Now here is where we can get down and dirty about quantifying the violence… Soooo it’s not ok to slap someone that has disrespected you or a loved one, but totally ok to do so on any of The Real Housewives shows? And honestly, I mean, it was a slap. Chris’ life was in no way threatened. His ego may have been bruised, but he was not in any physical danger. And another kudos to him for collecting himself and carrying on so well, after telling an unapproved joke in extremely poor taste.

“It was just a joke.” So how far is too far for a joke? Jokes can be a form of bullying, and that has led to some pretty dire circumstances, sometimes to the point of death. I say let’s bring some human decency back to comedy. All bets should not be off in the name of a comedian “just telling a joke”. Right now I err on the side of, if you dish it, you better be able to take it.

“Will is seen laughing at the joke initially.” Like most of us, he didn’t immediately understand the joke. But between seeing his wife’s face, and hearing some of the audience’s disdain for it, the joke landed, and he clearly wasn’t having it.

“Will must be going through something.” I believe this could be true. I think after playing such a patriarchal defender as the Williams’ sisters dad, he embodied a little of the character, and after bringing to the surface the trauma he speaks of in his book, of not being able to defend his mom when he was 9, he may have been determined to not miss an opportunity to defend again.

“He could’ve handled it differently.” He sure could have. He could’ve punched him instead of slapping him. I believe a public action of disrespect demands a reciprocal public reaction in response. Was he going to put out a statement later, or pull Chris aside at an after party or when they were in the same room together again one day, or talk about it in an Oprah interview? Too many times celebrities are held to superhuman standards of expectation to human circumstances and experiences. They’re just people, like you and me, doing the best they can from day to day. And on THAT day, Will was doing the best he could.

“They should take his award away.” Again, other non-Black entertainers get to keep all their stuff when much worse is proven of them; banned for life from the event, but they have all their Oscars. But it’s the go-to response for Black athletes and entertainers when something bad goes down… Michael Vick, Bill Cosby, R. Kelly. Why do we always have to throw the black baby out with the bathwater? I Believe I Can Fly is still a beautiful, powerful song. Will Smith’s portrayal in “King Richard” is still an Oscar-worthy performance. He’s put out multiple statements expressing deep remorse for his actions, and even disciplined himself by relinquishing his coveted Academy seat, making the organization’s disciplinary job a little less difficult. You can read more about they’re decision HERE.