The Domino Effect of the slap…
While presenting, comedian Chris Rock made a joke about Jada Pinkett-Smith, calling her “G.I. Jane.” Jada struggles with alopecia (hair loss), so the joke definitely didn’t sit well with her — or her husband Will Smith, who then slapped Chris onstage.
Neilson Barnard / Getty Images
This ignited a firestorm of controversial reactions, think pieces, and opinions from everyone ranging from spectators to politicians to other celebs. Some defended Will, some defended Chris.
Robyn Beck / AFP via Getty Images
One of Will’s detractors was none other than actor Jim Carrey, who condemned Will’s actions in an interview with Gayle King. “I was sickened by the standing ovation,” Jim said. “I felt like Hollywood is just spineless en masse.”
Jim Carrey “I was sickened by the standing ovation,” “I felt like Hollywood is just spineless en masse.” #StayOnTheUpnUp #Oscars
CBS
“I’d have announced this morning that I was suing Will for $200 million because that video is gonna be there forever. It’s gonna be ubiquitous. You know, that insult is gonna last a very long time,” he said. He also agreed with Gayle that if it were anyone else, they’d be removed from the Oscars.
“You do not have the right to walk up on stage and smack somebody in the face because they said words,” he continued.
When Gayle said she wished it didn’t “escalate,” Jim said, “It didn’t escalate. It came out of nowhere because Will has something going on inside him that’s frustrated, and I wish him the best, I really do.”
People were quick to then point out that Jim doesn’t exactly have a spotless reputation. He started trending this week on Twitter after people brought up his past, like his behavior at the 1997 MTV Movie Awards:
says the guy who sexually assaulted alicia silverstone on stage https://t.co/5YLXhvZNXg
Twitter: @ycsm1n
@Sincerely_Tanya @ThatBKGurl Jim Carrey tried to French kiss Will Smith at the MTV movie awards and he kissed Alicia Silverstone without her consent at the same award show. So he assaulted two people in one night and no body said a word. He should be minding his own business.
Twitter: @GlowySweetFab
Damn, remember that awards show where Jim Carrey(the 45 year old man) stuck his tongue down a 20 year old woman’s throat while she tried to push him off?
The internet remembers https://t.co/HPxOQWiPL7
MTV
People also brought up how he used to promote debunked, anti-vaccine information with his then-girlfriend of five years, Jenny McCarthy:
hey remember when jim carrey used to tweet videos of autistic children having meltdowns without the consent of them or their families to convince people not to get vaccinated https://t.co/8LNjDY4v8K
Jeff Kravitz / FilmMagic / Getty
The tweet this person is referring to has been deleted, but you can see here what Jim said, thanks to The Daily News.
also, jim carrey and his ex jenny mccarthy, were the highest profile celebs purveying the myth that vaccines cause autism. they signal boosted fraudulent physician’s claims early on and their disinformation of life-saving measures contributed to actual deaths of human beings!
Twitter: @ycsm1n
Jim Carrey is literally responsible for popularizing anti vaccine rhetoric because he was there alongside his ex Jennie McCarthy promoting those views on massively popular platforms https://t.co/sLXPn81Xnm
Twitter: @PalIahAbdul / Via Jeff Kravitz / FilmMagic / Getty
As for Jim’s comments about the slap, Will has not addressed them. And Jim has not responded to the current trending backlash, but we will update you if he does.