As a close friend and ex SNL David Spade, co-star of Chris Rock, comedian with extensive crowd front experience and former awards presenter, is in a unique position to talk about Will Smith’s Oscar slap. He defended his friend him after the initial onslaught and now offers extremely thoughtful additional comments on what happened and how the play has changed.
Appearing as a guest on Boxing with Mike Tyson, David Spade was asked what his views on comedy were in the era of nullification culture. He said he’s not normally someone who “starts a lot of shit” in his stand-up to him, but he pointed out guys like Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle and Bill Burr who really push the limits. According to him, that was “really the idea” when he started doing comedies. You wanted to “hit a little” to make people laugh, but these days some people want to tear up comedians if they feel offended when most of the time “there’s no meanness” behind the joke. Here are some of his thoughts …
This was really the idea when I arrived. You want to upgrade it a little. You want people to laugh. You want to hit them with the element of surprise … When people want to come in and stop (jokes) and don’t even say “don’t do it” but ruin your life. It is very difficult for me to understand that people would like to do this to other people. I know you are offended. I know you’re hurt, but do you really knock people down? There is a certain thirst and it is difficult because people have families and lives. In the world of comedy, in the end, there is no malice behind it. You’re just trying to make me laugh. So if you say something, it doesn’t even mean you mean it. You don’t feel like shouting “this is what I really believe in” at a protest. Hey, I’m saying this because you think I won’t. And it’s funny and then we all laugh.
Your answer obviously speaks a lot about society and how many people and perceptions have changed since you started doing stand-ups in the 1980s, but it also touches on what happened when Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars because he didn’t like him. . also his joke about his wife. This came out more broadly and more directly during the podcast conversation. Spade said he liked Rock’s silence on the whole thing and said he didn’t think he wanted to talk about it too publicly because he didn’t want to feel like he was “telling anyone”.
Of course, this wouldn’t be a conversation about cancellation culture, without Spade pushing the limits on his own and also making a bold joke. During the chat, the longtime actor thought he would really “help” Rock if there was a more famous slapping incident. He pointed to the royal family as a possible option …
We were watching this Kate Middleton jubilee with the royal family. Her son is about three years old, he’s a little silly, makes funny faces and I thought, ‘It would help Chris a lot if I slapped him.’ Because on national TV it would be the slap that we would hear all over the world and it would take his and it would be the second now. Because his is what everyone remembers. Take it off the books.
As of press time, there are still no more high-profile slaps to deflect some of Chris Rock’s heat. The queen’s jubilee went smoothly, or at least without high-profile violence between members of the royal family. Luckily for Rock, however, the chaos seems to be fading away and now that Smith has officially apologized, it may slowly fade to become just one of a thousand wild Hollywood stories that are referenced from time to time.
Source: Cinemablend
Benjamin Smith is a fashion journalist and author at Gossipify, known for his coverage of the latest fashion trends and industry insights. He writes about clothing, shoes, accessories, and runway shows, providing in-depth analysis and unique perspectives. He’s respected for his ability to spot emerging designers and trends, and for providing practical fashion advice to readers.
