As reported byPEOPLE, comedianMarlon Wayansrecently revealed that he believesWill SmithandChris Rockare still “hurt” by last year’sOscarsslap. During a guest appearance onCBS Mornings, theWhite Chicksstar talked about Rock’s recent stand-up special on Netflix and how he worked his own feelings regarding the incident intohis HBO Max comedy specialGod Loves Me.
In regards to Rock’s comments made during his liveSelective Outragespecial, Wayans said, “It was good to hear him speak about it. You could tell it was passionate. What you heard was somebody that was hurt, somebody that was finding their way to heal in that moment.”
The comedian went on to say that he’d reached out to theEmancipationstar after the Oscar slap occurred and noted that Smith’s actions during last year’s Academy Awards weren’t theKing Richardstar’s typical behavior.
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Marlon Wayans Said Will Smith’s Actions at Last Year’s Oscars Were Unusual “That’s Not Will”
Wayans said, “I think Will’s hurt has nothing to do with Chris. Maybe something that’s happened in Will’s life. That was a snap moment. That brother snapped. That’s not Will. Will’s composed.”
TheScary Moviestar continued, “I don’t think it’s ever cool to hit somebody. But I do think that at some point we can’t let that just sit there. I think for our children, for our people, for the people, that we just can’t sit in pain and not come to terms. And I think we can all make mistakes, but at some point… let’s sit down and come to the table and fix this.”
PEOPLE additionally noted that while talking to The Hollywood Reporter prior to the release of his HBO Max special, Wayans revealed that he’d chosen not to seek either star’s opinion while working on the material for his new stand-up (which focuses on the Oscar slap).
Wayans said, “In their art, they don’t ask me, ‘What do you think of this?’ I think as artists, we all do what we do. Especially because it’s such a sensitive subject, I didn’t want their opinions.”
He continued, “I just hope they gauge and trust that I love them. That I’m being objective. I’m being honest. I’m being real. And that the purpose of this is more healing than it is deconstruction.”
The comedian added, “When you’re these idols in people’s eyes, we don’t have any license to fail. And what you saw was [Smith] fail. That can happen to any and every one of us under these pressures. He had the worst moment on the best day of his life.”
