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Jim Carrey has condemned Will Smith's actions at the 2022 Oscars after the actor – who went on to win an award for his performance in King Richard – slapped comedian Chris Rock for making comments about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith.
"I was sickened by the standing ovation [after his win]," Carrey said in an interview with CBS (via IndieWire). "Hollywood is just spineless en masse and it really felt like this is a really clear indication that we aren’t the cool club anymore."
Rock, who was presenting at the Oscars, made a joke about Pinkett Smith's hair. She has alopecia, a hair loss condition, and Smith responded by yelling, "Keep my wife’s name out your fucking mouth."
"I’d have announced this morning that I was suing Will for $200 million because that video is going to be there forever, it’s going to be ubiquitous," Carrey continued. "That insult is gonna last a very long time. If you want to yell from the audience and show disapproval or say something on Twitter [that’s fine]. But you do not have the right to walk up on stage and smack somebody in the face because they said words.
"[The slap] came out of nowhere because Will has something going on inside him that’s frustrated. I wish him the best. I have nothing against Will Smith. He’s done great things, but that was not a good moment. It cast a shadow over everyone’s shining moment last night… It was a selfish moment."
Will Smith has since apologized for the incident. "I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris," reads a statement posted to Smith's social media account. "I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness."
In the post, Smith calls violence, in all of its forms, "poisonous and destructive", and describes his behavior at the Oscars are "unacceptable and inexcusable".
For more on the 2022 Oscars, check out our recap of the 5 biggest talking points from the ceremony and our full list of winners.
Carrey's next movie is Sonic the Hedgehog 2, in which he plays Dr. Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik. The video game movie sequel releases on April 1 in the UK, following on April 8 in the US. In the meantime, check out our list of the other upcoming movies on the horizon in 2022 and beyond.
