When it comes to the Oscars slap, most celebrities have taken to sharing their less-than-hot takes about how violence is never the answer and how disciplinary action needs to be taken. However, some celebrities can still surprise us, and this week’s is none other than DJ Jazzy Jeff, who has an actual hot take on the events of the award show.
Last month at the Oscars, Will Smith slapped Chris Rock in the face after he made a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. The Academy described the incident as “shocking, painful, and inexcusable.”
However, DJ Jazzy Jeff might beg to differ. He took to Instagram to defend Will Smith, saying in a video post, “Don’t get it twisted that it was something he was proud of. It was a lapse in judgement, you know? I think the thing that I’ve realised is I don’t know too many people that has had the least amount of lapse of judgement than him.”
He continued, “I can name 50 times that he should’ve smacked the shit out of somebody and he didn’t. So for him to have a lapse in judgment, he’s human. And I think a lot of the criticism comes from the people who don’t think people like that are human.”
It certainly is a sympathetic approach to take, especially considering the reaction of the Academy, who said in their statement, “The 94th Oscars were meant to be a celebration of the many individuals in our community who did incredible work this past year; however, those moments were overshadowed by the unacceptable and harmful behaviour we saw Mr. Smith exhibit on stage.”
However, even with the balance of allowing for a lapse in judgement, it’s still important to recognise when mistakes are made and need to be handled better.
