Will Smith

[Ginger]

Will has damaged his brand, but I can't imagine that he's struck it a death blow. He's been a bankable star for upwards of 25 years, people like him in and out of Hollywood, and now he's got an Oscar. Most of the career-related uncertainty he's experiencing right now seems short-sighted and temporary to me.

I feel like the biggest threat to his brand now is his bad marriage and whatever else is going on with him at home. Laying out their dysfunctional marriage on Jada's Facebook show was a mistake, and Will seemed to be out of sorts at the time (puffy and sad and subdued). SNL's sketch last week really nailed how bizarre the Oscars outburst was, ending with Chris Redd as Will dancing to Gettin Jiggy With It and saying, "Everything's normal, y'all!"

I would be happy to watch another Will Smith movie that is as good as King Richard. I'm less happy about the thought that the Smiths have probably already filmed an episode of Jada's Facebook show about this where they serve up another shit casserole and act like it's all good.

[Deleted]

Roman Polanski got a standing ovation at the Oscars. Will's career is going to be just fine. I'm gonna predict that in a few years after all of this has died down, he and Chris Rock will do a sketch about it at some future awards show.

His marriage on the other hand...it just seems so toxic all around. If they want to stick together and tough it out that's their business, but it certainly seems like a contributing factor here. I don't blame Jada, Will's a grown ass man who is responsible for his own actions, but the fact that he was laughing until he saw her reaction and then immediately went completely berserk I think says a lot about their relationship.

[ahah]

Apr 6, 2022 11:34:57 GMT -4 Trixie said:

Apr 6, 2022 7:15:48 GMT -4 ahah said:

If you are equating murder, rape, stealing and assault to being a general a-hole, then my point is made. There is such a huge gap between those crimes that we have a justice system to deal with and a person saying or doing something bad in public. The justice system does not deal with people merely being a-holes because it's not necessary to have justice for every single bad thing that ever happens. The lack of grace in the world today isn't playing out so well.

I’m an editor and tend to read and use words precisely. You asked why we/society condemn every time something bad happens. I answered your wider question with my thoughts and added that the question was not a Will Smith topic, in order to separate the slappy Will from rapist Polansky. I think that’s obvious enough to avert your “If you are equating…” response. There’s nothing wrong with my response.

I believe that in order to condemn rape, murder, and theft, it is not also necessary to condemn words. And yet, many people insist on condemnation of words anytime there is a public outrage of offense. That's where I was coming from, and I still do not believe that those crimes occur because we fail to condemn words.

[Binky]

Apr 6, 2022 12:01:17 GMT -4 Ginger said:

Will has damaged his brand, but I can't imagine that he's struck it a death blow. He's been a bankable star for upwards of 25 years, people like him in and out of Hollywood, and now he's got an Oscar. Most of the career-related uncertainty he's experiencing right now seems short-sighted and temporary to me.

I suspect most of his business partners are just waiting for this to blow over, BUT they may also be waiting to see if he's going to announce a trip to rehab or a divorce. Both of which would frankly seem like an improvement over "Will Smith self-destructs live at the Oscars and nothing happens."

[cremetangerine82]

Apr 6, 2022 12:25:13 GMT -4 @ximena said:

His marriage on the other hand...it just seems so toxic all around. If they want to stick together and tough it out that's their business, but it certainly seems like a contributing factor here. I don't blame Jada, Will's a grown ass man who is responsible for his own actions, but the fact that he was laughing until he saw her reaction and then immediately went completely berserk I think says a lot about their relationship.

Will and Jada do need to at least separate, and Will to announce going to therapy or some anger management classes to seem contrite. I doubt he really is, but appearances are more important than reality.

The Slap^TM and the dancing/rapping to his own songs with Oscar in hand at the Vanity Fair party is damaging enough.

I just hope this is his very last Oscar nomination; I don’t want AMPAS to give him a redemption arc.

[Auroranorth]

Louis CK won a Grammy this week. So much for cancelled.

[cremetangerine82]

Apr 6, 2022 21:03:44 GMT -4 Auroranorth said:

Louis CK won a Grammy this week. So much for cancelled.

Yep, I mentioned that before, “cancel culture” isn’t a thing.

Will Smith won’t be “canceled”, but I’m glad he’s suffering actual consequences.

[Ginger]

A couple of days ago, a 15-year-old French junior tennis player, after losing a match in Ghana, walked up to the net and instead of shaking his opponent's hand, sucker-slapped him across the face. In his apology, he said he was upset because the crowd had been yelling insults at his mother.

Many people have noted the similarity to Will Smith's slap, although there is no direct connection. It does kind of seem to me like that phenomenon that happens when a celebrity commits suicide, that there is then a wave of copycats.

I don't think the message truly reached the kids that you don't slap people in public because you are upset. You just don't do it, ever. "There is no excuse" means there actually is no excuse, including the one Will made for himself about protecting his family.

[Ginger]

Bump for Academy 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 behavior we saw Mr. Smith exhibit on stage.

During our telecast, we did not adequately address the situation in the room. For this, we are sorry. This was an opportunity for us to set an example for our guests, viewers and our Academy family around the world, and we fell short — unprepared for the unprecedented.

Today, the Board of Governors convened a meeting to discuss how best to respond to Will Smith’s actions at the Oscars, in addition to accepting his resignation. The Board has decided, for a period of 10 years from April 8, 2022, Mr. Smith shall not be permitted to attend any Academy events or programs, in person or virtually, including but not limited to the Academy Awards.

We want to express our deep gratitude to Mr. Rock for maintaining his composure under extraordinary circumstances. We also want to thank our hosts, nominees, presenters and winners for their poise and grace during our telecast.

This action we are taking today in response to Will Smith’s behavior is a step toward a larger goal of protecting the safety of our performers and guests, and restoring trust in the Academy. We also hope this can begin a time of healing and restoration for all involved and impacted.”

Seems fair. He messed up the event, and he's not welcome back to the event (or other Academy events) for a while.

Had he not resigned from the Academy, I think this is the equivalent of a 10-year suspension. Variety confirms that it will not prevent him from being nominated or winning further Oscars during the 10-year period.

[cabbagekid]

I’m surprised the ban was 10 years, I’m actually surprised they banned him at all. I think I got so used to nothing happening to the people who did far worse things and nothing really happened to them in the industry.

I thought, at most, Will would get a 3-5 year “can’t attend Academy Awards” type ban.

I guess the difference was Will did the crime during the most prestigious night for the Academy and did it in front of millions of people. Is that the line in the sand then?