The Oscars

Comedic legend Gilbert Gottfried defended his fellow comedians until the very end ... using his last social media post to back Chris Rock after the Oscars.

Gilbert posted a photo of him with Chris the day after Will Smith's on-camera slap, with the caption "Which is the worst crime? Chris Rock being physically assaulted or Chris Rock telling a joke?"

He also joked around about the "King Richard" star to The Associated Press, saying he used to worry about putting a mask on while performing ... but "now I have to worry about wearing a football helmet," hilariously begging Will to stay away from his shows.

As we reported, Gilbert passed away Tuesday from a heart abnormality called Ventricular Tachycardia due to Myotonic Dystrophy type II. His family asked his fans to keep laughing as loud as they can in his honor.

His career spans back to the '70s when he was a cast member on "Saturday Night Live," and quickly became a standout character on multiple shows and movies, including "Beverly Hills Cop II" and "The Cosby Show."

As we analyze how offensive Chris Rock's joke about Jada Pinkett Smith was -- one woman who's been a long alopecia advocate says ... it's more flattering than anything.

Swedish-born actress Jannica Olin -- who first started losing her hair to alopecia in 2013 -- dished her thoughts about the awkward Oscars moment to THR ... and she makes it clear, the 'G.I. Jane' dig wasn't nearly as big a deal in her eyes as it apparently was for Jada.

JO says as she watched back clips of the exchange after the fact, she was waiting for the hurtful part to come about -- but for her, it never really did.

Jannica adds, "I didn’t see what was offensive about it ... And I’m very aware we all have different experiences, and we’re all in different places. To me, personally, that ... joke was not offensive. I think that’s cool."

She goes on to explain that the 'G.I. Jane' character -- Jordan O'Neill, played by Demi Moore in the '90s -- is portrayed as a tough-as-nails badass, and a symbol of female empowerment ... and that to her, she would've taken Rock's joke as praise rather than a mean-spirited barb.

Jannica says, "I would have loved to have that said to me. But that’s me, right? I can’t speak for anyone else."

While Jannica acknowledges alopecia might affect people differently -- including Jada and by default, Will too -- she says he still should've restrained himself ... even if he was pissed off. She says, "We're all human. We're all going to get triggered by things. But you have to be an adult and sit with something and maybe not react that way, no matter what."

This has been a raging debate since the beginning -- namely, was Will's reaction simply a result of the hair crack itself, or was it deeper. Most seem to agree ... there might've been a lot of factors going into the smack, but that perhaps the bald joke was the last straw.

It's also unclear how offended Jada herself actually was in the moment -- yes, she did roll her eyes and show disapproval ... but just days before the Oscars, she telegraphed confidence about her alopecia and baldness. So, seemingly mixed signals on that front.

Of course, there's a race element to this as well ... many in the African-American community have argued that hair is particularly important and meaningful to Black women -- so some might not accept Jannica's take here at face value, seeing how she's white.

Jada Pinkett Smith flew solo Saturday night ... her first public appearance since her husband whacked Chris Rock at the Oscars.

Jade showed up to support her pals, "Grey's Anatomy" creator and EP Shonda Rhimes and Debbie Allen for a gala celebrating the opening of the Rhimes Performing Arts Center in L.A.

Jada mingled with folks in the crowd, including Samuel L. Jackson and his wife LaTanya Richardson Jackson.

Jada and Will Smith have a connection to the venue ... there are several studios inside for the Debbie Allen Dance Academy, and one of them is named in honor of Will and Jada.

Jada has been mum over the slap. As you know, her husband is now banned from all Academy events for the next decade and he's resigned from the Academy.

'SNL' hilariously recapped the Will Smith slap, saying despite Jada and Will talking about just about everything in their lives, most people didn't know she had alopecia ... equating it to Kanye getting upset because people didn't know he had psoriasis. (FYI ... he doesn't!).

Colin Jost and Michael Che were hysterical during "Weekend Update." As for Will's 10-year banishment from Academy events, they noted Will can still get nominated and even win another Oscar. As Jost put it ... "He just doesn't have to attend the four-hour ceremony where someone is definitely going to make fun of his wife again."

Che told a super-funny joke about equivalency ... him going out in frigid weather and noting that it's cold out, triggering people who heard him become outraged ... well, watch why -- it's great!

Chris Rock has shed a smidge of light on how he feels about Will Smith slapping him at the Oscars -- but says he won't reveal more until he receives one thing ... cold, hard cash.

The comedian told a live audience Friday that he would not be talking about the Oscars until he was compensated, presumably meaning somebody ponying up for his exclusive account ... this according to a report from the Palm Springs Desert Sun, which detailed his set in Indio, CA and the material referenced as Chris continues his national comedy tour.

Here's what Chris reportedly said in full ... "I'm OK, I have a whole show, and I'm not talking about that until I get paid. Life is good. I got my hearing back."

The strange thing ... if Chris means he's waiting on a network of some sort to pay him for a sit-down, ya gotta imagine he and his team have already been approached by every broadcast company in the game at this point. Maybe they just haven't offered enough???

Of course, another, slightly more sinister way to interpret his remarks ... perhaps he's talking about a civil lawsuit against Will himself, where he could potentially get paid that way too.

Or, he might just be joshing altogether ... it's unclear how serious this comment is, but considering the context -- Chris seems to be in good spirits and carrying on well. In any case, the Desert Sun has more deets about what's in Chris' set -- and it's interesting.

They say he took a lot of shots at celebs and politicians, including Hillary Clinton, the Kardashians, Meghan Markle and others. He also reportedly made fun of corporations and their diversity initiatives -- while also invoking his family life, being single and cancel culture ... as it relates to offending people these days. The DS says he got a standing O in the end.

It does seem Chris is opening up more and more as his tour rolls on -- remember, in his initial shows out in the East Coast ... all he said was he's still processing the smack.

Now, it appears he's finding some humor in the whole thing -- that, or just masking how he really feels with his comedy chops. Time will tell if/when Chris speaks on this officially.

Will Smith won't be able to attend the Oscars for 10 years -- and while some think that's mega, David Spade is here to say, whoop-de-doo ... suggesting it's not a big deal at all.

We got the comedy legend -- and good pal of Chris Rock -- Friday at Avra in Bev Hills ... and of course, we had to get his take on Will's decade-long ban, which had just been handed down by the Academy hours earlier.

Check it out ... David actually seems to be okay with the punishment -- saying the movie honchos had to do something, and this seems fitting. But, when we pressed on whether it was too harsh ... he scoffed.

In Dave's eyes ... not being able to attend the ceremony or vote for future flicks doesn't really come off as a major consequence -- and he says himself, "Who cares?"

DS also reveals if he's spoken to Chris yet ... and indeed, he certainly has. He refuses to dish on what his buddy thinks, though, respecting the guy's confidence and privacy. As for what he thinks the Academy can do to make it up to CR -- he's got a hilarious response.

BTW, just to give you a sense of how close David is with Chris ... check out this podcast appearance the latter made on Spade's "Fly on the Wall" back in January, which he hosts with Dana Carvey. Chris told an interesting story about being bullied in childhood.

There've been other reactions to the 10-year ban as well ... including from 'Dodgeball' star Chris Williams, who says it's a stiff sentence -- but one that makes sense considering the conduct.

Just like David, CW also thinks Will is going to land on his feet in the long run ... and that he can get past this with some time and healing -- and the forgetfulness of society as the next big thing captures our attention.

We also asked if Williams thinks Smith's got another Oscar in him amid this 10-year ban -- and the guy says, hell yeah ... predicting he may actually win one after his final year.

Will Smith's 10-year ban from the Oscars has left many in the Academy with mixed feelings -- some think too harsh, others think too lenient ... and some think it's just right.

THR published several reactions from a handful of members -- none of whom are on the Board of Governors -- with many going on the record with how they feel about the decision doled out this week ... namely, making WS persona non grata at the ceremony for a decade.

A good amount of these folks actually stuck up for Will, saying the punishment doesn't fit the crime -- including Stephen Potter of the Sound branch, Harry Shearer of the Actors branch and Beverly Walker of the Marketing/PR branch ... who all felt this was punitive.

Harry (famous from "The Simpsons") says, in part ... "If Will Smith, or any other A-list actor, had run on stage and simply pulled down his pants and defecated, I seriously doubt he'd/she'd be back on that stage in 10 years, or ever ... A decade-long ban seems oddly parental, as in, he'll have outgrown his slappin' phase by then."

Beverly was firmly in Will's corner, or rather ... very much so NOT in Chris's -- or any other comedian the Academy might hire as a host/presenter to roast the crowd.

She takes issue with "the Academy's longstanding habit of hiring comedian/hosts to march out and insult or make fun of the very people being celebrated," adding, "there have undoubtedly been some who would've liked to make some sort of protest" ... and finishing by saying, "What Rock said was egregious and he had to know it would not be appreciated."

Others took aim at Academy leadership itself -- especially Prez David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson ... whom many felt had screwed the pooch by failing to respond in the moment.

Mitchell Block -- a doc-maker -- put it well ... "The board of governors should have reviewed why David Rubin and/or Dawn Hudson failed to have Will Smith immediately removed from the theater after he physically attacked one of the hosts." He adds, "Their poor judgment demonstrated an inability to lead and be proactive under pressure and respond to this behavior. I am deeply disappointed that the governors did not censure them."

And yet, even more came out swinging ... saying Will deserved more severe consequences, like criminal charges and maybe outright disqualification from all things Oscars, forever.

Steven Scott summed it up like this ... "I also am disappointed that Chris Rock and The Academy decided not to press charges for Will's attack. What message are we sending -- that when we're assaulted, it's best to just keep our 'composure' and not complain?"

He also addressed the whataboutism that has bubbled up -- with many drawing comparisons over what happened to Will with others who they feel have perhaps done worse.

To that, Scott says ... "Before someone tells me that other Hollywood A-listers have done awful things, yet kept their Oscars, none of them did their crimes live, on air, from the Academy home stage on our special night, in front of all the world to see."

He adds, "There is no precedent for Will's horrific physical and verbal assault, and the punishment should have been unprecedented as well. I am disgusted by my Academy's appallingly weak, amoral, kowtowing-to-an-A-lister response."

As you know ... Will is OK with the Academy's decision. And, while he can't attend Academy Awards ceremonies or official events for 10 years -- he can still be nominated for Oscars and even win Oscars ... they'll just have to mail him any would-be statuettes if that occurs.

He also gets to keep his Oscar -- so all things considered, really not all that bad.

Will Smith finally got his punishment for slapping Chris Rock at The Oscars -- the Academy of Motion Pictures has made him persona non grata for a decade for that slap.

The Academy's Board of Governors met Friday and after the vote, the Academy President and CEO said, "The Board [of Governors] has decided, for a period of 10 years, from April 8, 2022, Mr. Smith shall not be permitted to attend any Academy events or programs, in person or virtually, including but not limited to the Academy Awards."

He continues with an Academy mea culpa  ... "During our telecast, we did not adequately address the situation in the room. For this we are sorry. This was an opportunity for us to set an example for our guests, viewers, and our Academy family around the world, and we fell short -- unprepared for the unprecedented."

The Prez went on to thank Chris Rock ... "We want to express our deep gratitude to Mr. Rock for maintaining his composure under extraordinary circumstances."

A statement allegedly from Smith after the announcement read, "I accept and respect the Academy's decision."

TMZ broke the story ... our sources told us the Academy lied about asking Will to leave the Dolby Theater after the slap. Turns out it was the exact opposite ... as the show's producer Will Packer told Will he could stay.

The Academy was slammed for getting caught in a lie, so this disciplinary hearing also served as its best way to make good for an, at best, fumbled response.

Will had also been dealing with the fallout -- a bunch of his projects are now on ice and he already resigned from the Academy.

Fat Joe says Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars has serious consequences for all POCs when it comes to demanding respect ... especially because it was Will who got violent in public.

We got Joey Crack Thursday in New York City, and asked for his take on the fallout from Will's actions, and the impact on minorities.

You can tell it pains him to say it, but Joe says Will being the culprit makes it much worse for the culture than, for instance, Fat Joe and 50 Cent beefing.

Watch the clip, he really did take that shot at himself -- but his point is people expect more from Will, because as he put it ... the Oscar winner is "the best we got."

What's more, Joe says the slap looks bad from the outside because it comes at a time when Black and brown people are demanding more respect in society.

Billy Bush has plenty of advice for Will Smith on how to deal with a moment that could badly stain his career in Hollywood ... and he's reached out to Will offering help.

We got Billy Wednesday at Judi's Deli in Beverly Hills ... and he scoffed at people who are calling for Will's cancellation, calling it "crazy" and "ridiculous."

Billy, who's been through it himself, says one bad moment doesn't define a person's life, even something as huge as Will slapping Chris Rock at The Oscars.

The "Extra" host isn't defending Will's conduct, but he says everyone snaps from time to time, and he does acknowledge Will's meltdown was epic ... nevertheless, B.B. thinks Will's already paid a steep price, asking, "You don't think that guy's hurting enough?"

Billy says he contacted Will's publicist and urged the actor to read a book called "The Daily Stoic," a book he says has critical life lessons that will help Will navigate troubled waters.

Of course, Billy was fired from "Today" after the infamous "Access Hollywood" bus audio surfaced shortly before the 2016 election, in which Billy laughs at Donald Trump's hyper-offensive comments about women. So now Billy wants to offer the lessons he learned about overcoming obstacles.

There's growing anger toward the LAPD for not arresting Will Smith on the spot even after Chris Rock said he didn't want Will busted -- but fact is, there were only 2 ways cops could have taken Will out of the Dolby Theater in cuffs.

LAPD sources with firsthand knowledge tell us only one officer was inside the auditorium, and he was backstage and didn't see the slap. Since it was misdemeanor battery, the only way a cop could arrest Will on his/her own is if it was committed in their presence, and it was not.

We're told the officer backstage heard what happened and then beelined it for Chris' dressing room, where he waited outside for a while and then asked Chris if he wanted to press charges. We're told Chris was clear he did not, and our LAPD sources dispute what Oscar producer Will Packer claimed ... that Chris was asked if he wanted Will removed.

So there was one other way Will could have been arrested. Someone in the crowd -- and there were several thousand -- could have gone up to a cop and asked to make a citizen's arrest. Under California law, "a private person may arrest another for a public offense committed or attempted in his presence." No one in the crowd asked to do that.

Now we've also learned there was a flood of angry folks -- people who either called LAPD or actually went to one of the divisions -- and asked to arrest Will for battery. Thing is ... they didn't witness the slap in person -- watching it on TV doesn't count -- so LAPD could do nothing.

A French tennis player did his best Will Smith impression after a match on Monday -- as in, he slapped the hell out of his opponent's face in a fit of rage.

Just seconds after 15-year-old Michael Kouame lost a tilt to 16-year-old Raphael Nii Ankrah at an ITF juniors tournament in Ghana ... he reached back and smacked his opponent in the jaw.

Video shows Ankrah had no idea the attack was coming -- in fact, the footage reveals that just moments before the slap, he had actually shaken hands with Kouame.

No word on why Kouame launched the open hand, but further video from the scene shows it ignited a near brawl on the court afterward.

Kouame was the tournament's No. 1 seed heading into the match -- which happened in the first round of the event.

More of Chris Rock's family members are coming to his defense -- including his other little brother who's ripping into Will Smith for the slap ... and calling for the Academy to take back his Oscar.

CR's brother, Kenny, says it hurt to watch the slap during the Oscars broadcast because he felt helpless seeing Chris get attacked. He says the nonstop replays of the violent incident don't help either.

As Kenny told the L.A. Times ... "It eats at me watching it over and over again because you’ve seen a loved one being attacked and there’s nothing you can do about it." He added, "My brother was no threat to him and you just had no respect for him at that moment. You just belittled him in front of millions of people that watch the show."

Here's what Kenny thinks should happen to Will ... he should NOT be invited back to any other Academy Awards ceremonies, and he oughta have his Best Actor Oscar taken back.

Kenny also backs up what TMZ first reported -- Chris didn't know about Jada's alopecia.

As for whether Kenny accepts Will's apology, he said this ... "I might have looked at it differently had he initially apologized when he got on the stage and cried and accepted the award, but he didn’t, so, right there that tells me that it is something else."

Translation: hell no, he doesn't accept it. Kenny also says Will still hasn't reached out to either Chris or anyone else in the Rock family.

One last thing from Kenny ... he says Will shoulda gotten dragged outta there one way or another after the onstage hit. Kenny says, "He should have been escorted out of there,” he said. “I hold them accountable for that. He could have went up there and did anything you wanted to my brother. It could have been much worse than what he did."

The Grammys are underway and their MC, Trevor Noah, was on a roll in avoiding just about every controversy in the biz in his opening remarks ... except Will Smith, of course.

The ceremony kicked off Sunday in Vegas with a performance by Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak -- after which, things went indoors at the MGM Grand Garden Arena ... where TN popped up again and start delving into his monologue seamlessly.

He intro'd all the big names who were in the building -- going through a list that included the likes of Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo and more -- and said the night was going to be a smooth ride where they'd be singing, dancing and giving out awards.

Then came the dig ... "We're gonna be keeping people's names out of our mouths." That, he said, would help keep the night chill ... and the audience laughed it up as a result.

No name-dropping here, but it's obvious what Trevor was referring to ... that is, Will telling Chris Rock to keep Jada Pinkett's name out of his mouth during last weekend's Oscars ceremony -- this after smacking him across the face on stage, live on television.

It's interesting that Trevor went there -- albeit, lightly and not nearly as brutal as he could've been -- because the dude was seen embracing Will at an afterparty last week ... following a long chat they shared.

Seems like he struck a good balance between addressing it and sparing Will further humiliation. Dude's been getting both criticized and ridiculed in the wake of the hit.

'SNL' showed a different angle of that slap, and it's hilarious!!!

Chris Redd played Will Smith flawlessly, as he jawboned with a fan just before hearing the "G.I. Jane" joke. It's manic, even somewhat believable, but undeniably funny.

We won't give you the blow-by-blow ... watch the video -- it's worth the time.

'SNL' doing the slap was as predictable as the sunrise, and the show delivered several times during the program.

Thing is ... the skit plays off real-life -- Will laughing at Chris Rock's joke, then becoming enraged and later tearfully taking the stage. Manic seems like the proper label.

And, speaking of tearful ... the one thing that got the waterworks going was when "Will" makes a comment about "Red Table Talk."

Smith subsequently addressed the altercation in his Best Actor acceptance speech, in which he apologized to the Academy and his fellow nominees but not to Rock. Smith followed up with a written apology to Rock on Instagram on Monday. Smith has since resigned from the Academy as he was facing a suspension or expulsion.

Gunna served as the musical guest, performing his hit song "pushin P," while Jerrod Carmichael hosted the episode and had a hilarious monologue where he shared his own jokes on the Will Smith-Chris Rock Oscars slap.

On "Weekend Update" Michael Che and Colin Jost got in on the action, saying, "Intelligence officials are saying that Vladimir Putin is being misinformed by his advisors about how badly the Russian military is performing in Ukraine, which is kind of like Will Smith's agent telling him, 'You crushed it at the Oscars!'"

Jost wasn't done, saying Will's actions were "disgraceful" ... because it sets "a terrible precedent for having to defend your wife at awards shows."

Che noted that during his acceptance speech after landing the award for Best Actor, the "King Richard" star said, "Love will make you do crazy things."

And, then there's this ... Smith could join others who have been booted by the Academy -- Bill Cosby, Roman Polanski and Harvey Weinstein -- Or as Colin puts it, "Bad Boys For Life."

Will Smith tried cleaning up his Oscars moment, but it may not be enough for some studios who've got projects planned with him ... as his career seems to be getting halted, for now.

THR reports that at least a couple films of his (as an actor) that were supposed to be in the works are, for the time being, getting kicked to the back burner at both Netflix and Sony -- with the former quietly pivoting away from firing up production on "Fast and Loose," and the latter hitting pause on getting things going for "Bad Boys 4," per sources cited by the outlet.

For "Fast and Loose," Will is set to play the head of a criminal organization who suffers memory loss and has to put the pieces of his empire back together. Director David Leitch was originally attached, but he stepped away a week before the Oscars last week ... and Netflix was reportedly scrambling to find a replacement -- that is, until Will hit Chris Rock.

THR says other projects of Will's may also be put on ice, which presumably means other Netflix movies he's been attached to as well -- including "The Council" and "Bright 2."

On the Sony side of things, they've reportedly put production of his next 'Bad Boys' sequel on hold indefinitely too -- this after Will had apparently received 40 pages of the script recently, with the movie chugging along full steam ahead pre-Oscars.

There are other Sony-tied films of his (either as a producer or actor) that might see the same fate -- including a 'Hancock' sequel and a 'Karate Kid' sequel. He's got a production company now ... so beyond just starring in films, he's heavily involved in making them lately.

One film of Will's that's got movie watchers anxiously waiting on is his forthcoming Apple offering "Emancipation" -- which is in the can at this point, and due to be released this year. Apple has yet announce an official release date -- so it's unclear what they're going to do.

The movie has gotten a lot of buzz, and was expected to possibly earn Smith yet another Oscar -- as he plays a runaway slave from a Louisiana plantation, portraying the man who infamously posed for a photo in which he shows off the many scars on his back.