Months after joking that Will Smith was banned from the Oscars, Trevor Noah is seriously reflecting on the backlash the actor received for the slap.

After Will Smith slapped Chris Rock on stage At the Oscars several months ago, the internet was on fire with commentators sharing their thoughts on the subject. A significant number of celebrities also weighed in on the issue. Many people blamed Smith for his actions, while others came to his defense. One of the many stars to speak afterwards was comedian and politics expert Trevor Noah, who approached the situation with some humor. But now, months later, the TV personality has some serious thoughts about that backlash Smith (who recently apologized) Has received.

In April, Trevor Noah specifically spoke about Will Smith being punished by the Academy with a ten-year ban. Noah joked that Smith’s situation could be a blessing. dressed, since he doesn’t have to dress up, go to the Oscars and “watch a series of boring awards he doesn’t care about.” The daily program The host also joked that he would like to be kicked out of Emmys himself so he doesn’t have to “pretend happy” when he loses to peers like John Oliver.

However, this time around the comic took a more serious approach when it discussed the A-list actor. During a long conversation about variety price circuit podcast the South African talent wondered which part of the audience could quickly tear down the King Richard star after just one moment:

Trevor Noah’s argument appears to be that someone who has slipped from a generally positive career should at least benefit from the doubt. I would rather see that person display some kind of grace rather than being dismissed as a “junk human being”. This notion fuels a broader conversation about the culture of cancellation, which has persisted for several years. Noah went on to say that in today’s society one can only belong to two different categories:

Other stars were incredibly vocal when they discussed the slap. After this year’s Oscars, Jim Carrey said he was “sick” for the fact that Smith received a standing ovation when he accepted the Best Actor award that night. Carrey also said she would have sued the actor for $ 200 million if he were the one to slap him. The comedians talked about the incident, with Steve Harvey said he “has lost a lot of respect for [Smith]. ” Zoë Kravitz also called Smith shortly after the show, albeit recently Kravitz explained that he wishes he’d handled things differently. .

In the midst of all the backlash, there are some stars that have been on Sparkling However, the angle of alum. Marlon Wayans advised Will Smith attending therapy sessions referring to the star as “black excellence”. cool prince Student Tatyana Ali also spoke , noting that while Chris Rock didn’t deserve to be punched, he thinks Smith has “a big heart”. As I watched the domino effects of the slap, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar said he “supported” Smith in the middle of the situation.

It is probably fair to say that this is a situation that will certainly be talked about for years to come. But right now, it looks like stars like Trevor Noah will stand firm in their respective views.