In many ways, the stars are not just like us. But in one thing, we are united: In times of trouble, we post. Celebrities saw Will Smith slap Chris Rock live at the 2022 Oscars, and they had opinions to share. From the Dolby Theatre stage, Anthony Hopkins called for peace, love, and quiet. Smith mentioned that Denzel Washington gave him advice after the slap occurred: “Denzel said a few minutes ago, ‘At your highest moment, be careful; that’s when the devil comes for you,’” Smith said while accepting the award for Best Actor. During a leadership summit, Washington addressed the slap and repeated similar advice to the crowd, “When the devil comes at you, maybe it’s because he’s trying to do something right. And for whatever reason the devil got ahold of that circumstance that [Oscars] night.” But most of the commentary was expressed on social media. Judd Apatow tweeted that Smith could have killed Rock. “They’ve heard a million jokes about them in the last three decades,” he wrote in a now-deleted tweet. “They are not freshman in the world of Hollywood and comedy.” 50 Cent, on the other hand, thought it was a true LOL moment. Will and Jada’s son, Jaden Smith, seemed to allude to the night’s events with a tweet just saying “And That’s How We Do It.” And after the show, Liam Payne — former neighbor of Will Smith who once met Chris Rock too — told Good Morning Britain he “had to leave my chair” during the moment. Days after the event, host Amy Schumer wrote on Instagram in a since-deleted post that she was “still triggered and traumatized” and had a “sickening feeling” from the slap.
