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Academy Awards winners and snubs this year have largely been overshadowed by a moment in which Will Smith slapped Chris Rock over a joke he’d made about Jada Pinkett Smith. He went on to win the Best Actor award, taking an emotional stance during his King Richard-oriented speech. People stood and clapped for the actor at its conclusion, yet for Mila Kunis, the moment felt a bit “insane.”
A large swath of people applauded Will Smith just a short time after the slapcident, but Mila Kunis, who was attending with her husband and former That ‘70s Show co-star Ashton Kutcher, said they both decided to sit after the moment with Chris Rock had played out onstage. She explained to C Magazine why she made that decision, and she says she was thinking about her own kids and what would happen if that was the example she’d set.
The idea of leading by example only makes sense when you actually have someone to lead. We have our tiny little tribe here at home, and never once do I want to tell them to do something if I’m not willing to do it myself. Not standing up to me was a no-brainer, but what was shocking to me was how many people did stand up. I thought, ‘Wow, what a time we’re living in that rather than do what’s right, people focus on doing what looks good.’ It’s insane to me.
A lot of celebrities have spoken out about being in the Oscars audience when the moment took place. Dame Judi Dench shared the “surprise” many of the A-listers and others in the audience felt when the incident occurred. At first, a lot of people thought it was a bit. Frequent awards host Ricky Gervais was surprised such a “tame” joke led to the upheaval it did. Some, like Wanda Sykes, recognized the significance of what happened in the moment, noting she felt it reflects where society is in regards to “civility.”
Later, comedians like Steve Harvey had jokes about the slapcident. Even Chris Rock has bluntly mentioned what happened, but though Will Smith himself has apologized and spoken about what happened the comedian allegedly hasn’t been “ready to talk” yet.
Smith has previously spoken about being “fogged out” after the incident and not knowing how it would come across. He’s certainly had months to think about what happened, as he stepped down from the Academy and had numerous projects paused. Only now, months later, is his long-awaited Emancipation movie finally getting a first trailer and some traction over at Apple TV+.
For Mila Kunis, it seems she was most concerned about doing what she felt was “right.” In the past, she and Ashton Kutcher have spoken out about causes they believe in. They helped raise over $30 million dollars for Ukrainian refugees. Kutcher has also been a big advocate of shaping the future through space travel and investing in Silicon Valley. They kind of do their own thing within this celebrity world they travel in and I suppose it shouldn’t be a surprise that during the 2022 Academy Awards they stuck to their guns as well.