Year-end roundtable: How do we feel about Will Smith now?
Moreso than the slap itself, the reaction to it has been fascinating to see unfold over the year. Anecdotally, we’ve talked in the office about how there appears to be a generational divide in the reaction—older viewers seem more scandalized and anti-Smith, while younger viewers seem quicker to forgive and more on his side.
Not to be especially crass, but I believe there’s truth to the expression “talk shit, get hit”—Chris Rock had been taking cheap shots at Jada for a while, and while it’s his job as a comedian to take shots, I don’t think comedians are above reproach. Of course, it was incredibly humiliating for both men, and you can argue that Smith’s punishment didn’t fit Rock’s crime, but I have to push back against the idea that comedians are beyond reproach.