Amy Schumer is not holding back on Will Smith and his now-infamous outburst at the Oscars this weekend. Schumer was one of the night’s main co-hosts, but none of them were on stage when Smith slapped Chris Rock in the face and screamed at him for making a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. Days later, Schumer made a post on Instagram saying that she is “still triggered and traumatized” by the event.
Schumer had just wrapped up an elaborate but somewhat silly bit at the Oscars where she was dressed as Spider-Man and suspended from wires before Smith slapped Rock. Afterward, she made light of the slap on her next turn on stage. She said: “Did I miss anything? There’s like, a different vibe in here.” She started her new Instagram post with a similar joking tone, writing: “I think we can all agree that the best way to unpack what happened is to stream my series [Life and Beth on Hulu] and see me on tour this fall.”
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Schumer turned more serious as she continued: “But for real. Still triggered and traumatized. I love my friend [Chris Rock] Stayed up there and gave an Oscar to his friend [Questlove] and the whole thing was so disturbing. So much pain in [Will Smith] anyway I’m still in shock and stunned and sad. I’m proud of myself and my cohosts. But yeah. Waiting for this sickening feeling to go away from what we all witnessed.”
Of course, Schumer’s comment section quickly became a battleground for users with strong opinions on the awkward, violent moment between Smith and Rock. Many condemned Schumer for having the “audacity” to criticize Smith seriously now after making light of it in the moment. They felt that someone with Schumer’s influence could have done something to get Smith removed from the award show rather than letting it go on as if nothing had happened.
Others felt that Schumer and many other public figures were making too big a deal out of this moment. They felt that it was awkward and embarrassing for Smith, but not necessarily “traumatizing” for audience members. They also disliked the way Schumer’s post centered around herself, her “triggered” experience and her friendship with Rock.
Still, Schumer got off easier than some others who have commented on the whole fiasco. Many of Smith’s critics have questioned why there weren’t more consequences for the actor, which in turn have led to debates about policing that are tangentially related to this incident at best. Actress Zoe Kravitz has found her way to the center of this particular tidal pool in the discourse.
Smith has publicly apologized to Rock, and Rock has declined to press charges. Rock has seen an uptick in ticket sales for his upcoming stand-up shows, and Smith will most likely discuss the confrontation more at some point on his wife’s talk show. In the meantime, it seems many commenters have made up their minds.
