Film producer Janet Yang has opened up on the recent Will Smith slap-gate incident that occurred at the 2022 Oscars.
Film Producer Janet Yang Opens Up On Will Smith’s Slap-Gate Incident-‘What Happened Was Wholly Unacceptable’
The incident saw Smith slap Chris Rock after he became outraged by the latter’s joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith’s hair. What was more troubling was the fact that Smith did not apologise immediately, as well as the fact that it tarnished his ‘Best Actor’ Oscar for King Richard.
And that is something that did not sit very well with Yang, who made it clear in no uncertain terms that this behaviour was not to be tolerated. In her comments, she said: “I’m sure you all remember we experienced an unprecedented event at the Oscars.
“What happened on stage was wholly unacceptable, and the response from our organization was inadequate.” Nevertheless, it is important to bear in mind the following points. First of all, the Oscars did end up giving Smith a ten-year ban.
Therefore, at least the actor was held to some account even if others may have wanted his accolade stripped. Secondly, Rock behaved in an impeccable manner since he was within his rights to respond to being attacked. And yet, he maintained his composure and carried on like nothing serious had happened to him.
That is why Yang stated that lessons had been learnt. Her following comments confirmed as much: “We learned from this that the academy must be fully transparent and accountable in our actions, and particularly in times of crisis, you must act swiftly, compassionately and decisively for ourselves and for our industry.”
The social media response was the same. A large number of people were of the view that the response was not adequate, with many demanding that Smith should have been arrested. One person wrote: “Will Smith should have been arrested, and I say this as a former fan.”
So there you have it folks. What did you think about this? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below. If you liked reading this article, then check out our other features on the Daily Soap Dish.