Jim Carrey was “sickened” by Will Smith’s infamous Oscars slap, and not just because of the actor’s own actions.
The Sonic the Hedgehog 2 star on CBS Mornings weighed in on Smith slapping comedian Chris Rock at the 2022 Academy Awards, taking aim at the audience who still gave him a standing ovation after the incident.
“I was sickened by the standing ovation,” Carrey said. “I felt like Hollywood is just spineless en masse, and it just really felt like, ‘Oh, this is a really clear indication that we’re not the cool club anymore.'”
Smith received a standing ovation while accepting the Oscar for Best Actor. About a half-hour earlier, he walked on stage and slapped Rock over a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. Smith has since publicly apologized to the Academy and to Rock.
In the days since the Oscars, the Academy has faced some criticism for not removing Smith from the event after the slap, and Carrey told CBS he “should have been” escorted out. He also argued that that although Rock has declined to press charges against Smith, he should sue him.
“I’d have announced this morning that I was suing Will for $200 million because that video is going to be there forever,” Carrey said. “It’s going to be ubiquitous. That insult is gonna last a very long time.”
Carrey said that while it would have been fine for Smith to show his disapproval over Rock’s joke, “you do not have the right to walk up on stage and smack somebody in the face because they said words.” He also expressed disappointment that this “cast a pall over everybody’s shining moment.”
The Academy on Monday opened a formal review into the incident, saying Smith could face “consequences.” A source told CNN the Academy “strongly considered” removing him from the event but “couldn’t mobilize to make a decision” in time.
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