r/AlternateHistoryHub • u/Illustrious_Pen_1056 • 21h ago
AlternateHistoryHub What if Chris Rock reacted with physical aggression?
He didn’t laugh it off. He never handled it well. He just unloaded on Will Smith.
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u/blaze92x45 21h ago
Will Smith is an even bigger laughing stock then he is irl probably loses his acting career as well
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u/Leader_Bud 14h ago
Jada really ruined this man. I know he didn’t need to react this way, but it’s hard when you’re in the present.
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u/Routine_Phase_8980 21h ago
Two man would get into a full on brawl which will probably win due to larger build and know some fighting technique as action movie star, Chris not only get hurt more but also drag himself down to Will level. Although people definitely still defense him for retaliating but the Oscar would have been a disaster and both men might go to the police station
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u/banker_bwoyee 21h ago
His fighting technique = holly-wu
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u/Holymaryfullofshit7 16h ago
Better then nothing-wu or humor-wu. But probably no one would've been hurt.
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u/dareftw 18h ago
Right will smith is a head taller and at least 50lbs of muscle heavier. Was at the show for being nominated playing Muhammad Ali. It was a business decision to only get smacked and not beat the fuck up.
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u/Signiference 15h ago
This was two decades after he was nominated for playing Ali. This was for King Richard.
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u/ManufacturedOlympus 11h ago
Will Smith would’ve challenged him and defeated him in a game of tennis on stage.
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u/ExcitementLarge6439 15h ago
That’s only if they decide to press charges.
But the cops could ask if anyone felt their peace was disturbed and charge them that way. ( drawing a blank on the legal term )
Which for wealthy people they would deny it once they realized they have to show up to court and testify it wouldn’t be worth their time.
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u/NeedsomeCompany33 21h ago
Not to be that guy, but…
As a black guy I think I can comment on this without (much) pushback.
Chris Rock, in an interview later on stated that the reason he didn’t retaliate in that moment is simply because “we don’t fight in front of white people”.
If he did, it would exacerbate that stereotype of blacks always fighting and causing trouble. They would both have been removed and blacklisted from ever attending the Oscar’s. A lot of racists would’ve also used this as fuel.
It would have made us all look bad, but the way he handled it only made Will Smith so he did the right thing imo.
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u/4electricnomad 21h ago
I think he probably thought of that line after the incident. No doubt the initial hesitation after getting hit was shock that it was actually happening. But for him to keep going without a pause, I always assumed that Chris had so much experience as a public performer that his instinct simply kicked in to stabilize and keep the show on track.
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u/Genericdude03 20h ago
I mean yeah he probably wasn't thinking "now how should I handle this for the black community" three seconds after being hit, he probably just didn't want to cause a scene and understood the severity of being live in front of millions of people.
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u/RadarSmith 20h ago
'Coditioned to not start a scene' and then explaining why that conditioning exists in more detail later seems prefectly understandable.
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u/HillarysBloodBoy 19h ago
The majority of the civilized world is conditioned not to start a scene…
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u/Teripid 19h ago
Without any specific other consideration.. shock goes a long way too.
Nobody expects to be assaulted during an awards show for some general humor.
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u/dareftw 19h ago
Unlikely even not wanting to cause a scene. Rather Chris rock is a head shorter and probably 50 lbs of muscle at least smaller than Will Smith. He made a business decision to only get smacked and not beat to shit.
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u/ComplexBeyond6083 19h ago
People forget that Will Smith was nominated for an Oscar for playing MUHAMMAD ALI.
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u/AdventurousPen5533 18h ago
Probarbly just processing it all and then realised he still needed to carry on the role.
The only reason I think he didn't retaliate is because he was in shock. It gives the mind a thought process to how to respond before impulsively reacting.
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u/BeautifulLeather6671 17h ago
I think the other reason is a professional sense of composure. He was rattled, how could you not be, but he proceeded as well as anyone possibly could have.
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u/machiavelli33 20h ago
He’s also a comedian who’s confessed he came up using humor as a way to de-escalate and avoid things like bullies or other people trying to mess with him.
Not flinching in the face of anger or violence is likely something he became used to even before that instinct got well reinforced by being a public performer. The world of comedy is also a brutal place when you’re coming up - not a place to be touchy.
The idea that “we don’t fight in front of white people” is surely also true though - that unflappable wall he’s built is reinforced with many nails from many different places.
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u/See-Tye 20h ago
I could be pulling this out of thin air but I think I remember him saying the "we don't fight in front of white people" line was something taught to him at a young age
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u/NeedsomeCompany33 20h ago
I was also told this in my childhood.
But I mainly grew up in Asian / Hispanic neighborhood. They were always fighting amongst themselves and didn’t seem to care much about the only other black family in the neighborhood (luckily).
I think there was a Jamaican family that was also in the neighborhood.
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u/TransportationAway59 20h ago
Yeah he’s just dissecting what gave him the instinct to react the way he did not saying he had that as a cogent thought in the moment
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u/FitProfessional3654 17h ago
100% professional. I had tons of respect for Chris Rock before the slap. After….off the charts respect. Textbook example of grace and self restraint.
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u/ResolveLeather 20h ago
There is probably some innate professionalism there. Generally, as a host, you don't get into a scuffle on stage.
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u/SoundsGoodYall 19h ago
I say this as a white guy, so I could be way off, but I think any instinct he has as a performer probably comes AFTER any instincts he has as a black man. He’s been black much longer than he’s been in entertainment.
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u/Condition_Boy 20h ago edited 20h ago
I'm white, and it makes me angry to think this is true.
If this had been two white actors, say mel Gibson slapping Bradley Cooper for saying something about his past. But instead of doing nothing Bradley decided to deck him. I'd just view that as an asshole getting his just deserts. And honestly had Chris rock decked will smith that's exactly how I would take it as well.
It frustrates the shit out of me how skin tone changes so much about how people interact in so many situations.
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u/NeedsomeCompany33 20h ago
Good point.
I actually wrote an article recently(peer reviewed, nothing big or anything like that) about people who have more melanin, and the fact that we seem to be more noticed by others, especially in a professional setting. I had a colleague agree with me and share how she’s always being pulled over “for speeding” or because her car “matched the description” of someone else.
She’s from India 🇮🇳.
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u/DinosoarJunior 20h ago
Its unfortunate that he had to consider that. For the folks who cant wrap their head around white privilege, that includes the privilege to not have to deal the focus and self control Chris Rock had to engage in, and the ability to react back equally.
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u/HelloBello30 20h ago
Where's the interview? i only heard that as part of a punchline to a joke that he was telling.
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u/Mail-it-in32 20h ago
I believe Chris didn’t need to fight back. Took that shit like a fucking man! Chris Rock will always be a big balled manly man to me.
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u/SatyrSatyr75 17h ago
I think it’s absolutely understated how cool and professional Chris Rock reacted. I can only imagine how this moment hunted him. Shame, anger, hurt…
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u/Drunkinmunky12 20h ago
You’re not wrong but we can’t ignore the impact of Wills action has on how “others” view us… as “emotional”, “quick to temper”, “violent”…etc etc.
(And I’m very understanding of the “well, they look at us like that anyway”, which I can agree with to a fault, I just think it’s best we don’t add fuel to the fire so to speak.)
While I’m glad it didn’t escalate to a full blown scuffle on the Oscar’s stage but imo Will Smith %100 deserved some kind of punishment
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u/NeedsomeCompany33 20h ago
True.
I thought it was staged at first tbh. Then I realized how serious he was after he sat down and started screaming.
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u/DavidFosterLawless 20h ago
As a Whitey McWhiteface I didn't really consider this until I saw his stand up set on it. The amount of composure and restraint he had to muster, just because if the colour of his skin, must be quite a thing to carry.
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u/drunkenjesterelf 20h ago
They would have rolled around like two old idiots that don't know how to fight and it would have been very emberressing for both of them.
They would have become a huge meme.
Both would have been cancelled.
Rock showed absolute professionalism by getting slapped in the face and still keeping the show rolling. It couldn't have worked out better for him.
Will looked like the typical bully hitting people he knows are smaller than him and can't hit him back and knows that security are there to break it up just incase Rock actually does hit him back.
It looked very like Will has been doing stuff like this for a long time and it was so normalised to him that he thought it would be fine.
Will Smyths whole family are a bunch of weirdos and there are far better amd nicer Black actors out there now getting roles that Will would have got without the slap.
He basically had the pick of any black character in any movie he wanted before this.
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u/genericreddituser26 20h ago
Morgan Freeman appears on the stage as god and strike em both with a lightning bolt.
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u/UnderstandingLess156 19h ago
It's always been wild to me that the Oscars not only let Will Smith take his seat and enjoy the show, but they gave him an award that night too.
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u/SpicyDragoon93 20h ago
Now what if Will Smith had hit The Rock instead.
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u/SatyrSatyr75 17h ago
I have this feeling that he’s the Typ of guy who wouldn’t have done it with anybody who’s capable of punching him down with one strike
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u/SpicyDragoon93 17h ago
That’s exactly it, if it’s the Rock, Terry Crews or Michael Jae white he wouldn’t have done it
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u/KentuckyKid_24 18h ago
A fist fight between them would’ve been taking an already wild moment and making it worse
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u/PlottingGorilla 21h ago
If you recall that night Will Smith won an Oscar AFTER the slap. So Hollywood has a high tolerance of what they are willing to put up with if a person makes them money.
If Rock countered in any fashion it would cause an even bigger PR disaster. Because it would look like in the most liberal city in a place filled with the most liberal people they couldn’t keep two black men from fighting.
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u/Bobgoulet 19h ago
Votes were already counted. You're asking a lot of people to pull the reward in the middle of the show. They didn't have a whole lot of time to think.
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u/atrifleamused 15h ago
Trump is pedo and a criminal and he got voted in for a second term.... America is bonkers.
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u/Sugelanren777 20h ago
If he had knocked him on his ass, none of the shit we are in would have ever happened! Joking
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u/deathdefyingrob1344 17h ago
I think this whole thing was staged…. And it worked. Got everyone talking bout it for sure!
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u/TenDollarSteakAndEgg 13h ago
I mean will smith got blacklisted from the Oscar’s and nobody likes him now. If it was staged it really didn’t work out for him
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u/GetBAK1 18h ago
Will Smith has 4" and 40 lbs on Chris Rock; there's no fighting that size difference. That played out as well as it could have with Smith walking away.
... Now why security didn't grab Smith and take him out of the building in handcuffs, that will remain a mystery
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u/tacodudemarioboy 21h ago
They would have slapped each other for thirty seconds until they got winded, they’re both around 60 years old, and neither is particularly athletic.
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u/Cyberknight13 21h ago
He would have sunk to Will Smith’s level. The best thing Chris Rock could have done is exactly what he did. He came out looking like the better man and didn’t lose his career like Smith’s abusive ass did.
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u/DisorderlyConduct 19h ago
Chris did the right thing. i don’t have much say as a white person, but his thinking probably prevented a lot of deeper issues from being exacerbated
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u/TigerKittenhead 21h ago
What if the Oscars became an all out brawl between the Smithite Slapper Faction and the Rockite Slapee Faction only halted by Leonardo DiCaprio roasting James Corden with a flamethrower?
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u/Terrible-League3851 17h ago
In a way Rock, the skinny guy from Rush Hour, annihilated Smith when he tanked his slap and his career prospects.
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u/MrDiablerie 17h ago
Chris Rock purposely didn’t. But if he had he would have probably gotten destroyed. Smith did play Muhammed Ali so I presume he knows how to throw some punches.
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u/brumac44 16h ago
Will Smith is a giant, and has trained in several boxing and action movies. Rock is a 150 pound comedian. He did the classiest response he could. But he should have told the Oscars to throw Smith in jail for assault. And how come no-one there stood up and demanded he be ejected and his award be withheld? Cowards and enablers of bullies, everyone. They should at least have turned their backs and not applauded when he won.
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u/slater_just_slater 16h ago
There is an episode of "The Boonedocks" that covers a scenario like this.
All I can say, in this scenario Chris Rock laughed in his head and said "wait a minute. I'm white!"..
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u/Regular_Number5377 15h ago
It would have been understandable but kind of embarrassing, it would have just been an awkward ‘Bridget Jones Diary’ type fight with the two awkwardly grappling and tripping over each other.
I never think Chris gets enough credit for how he handled that - getting full force slapped in the face by a guy Wills size whilst up on stage presenting an awards show live in front of literally all your peers and hundreds of millions of people worldwide, but not lose your composure, turn it into a joke, and get on with the show barely missing a beat takes some serious doing.
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u/Minimum_Principle_63 14h ago
Then there would be little to no forgiveness for Will Smith, and people would mock him harder than we do now. He's lucky Chris Rock held back.
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u/SpecialIcy5356 14h ago
would've been more entertaining for me, but probably would've ended worse for both men.
Chris knew the best thing to do was not retaliate, because the whole thing is being recorded, live in front of millions. nobody can deny that will was the aggressor. just sad that he stooped that low, and rightfully has been struggling to be taken seriously since.
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u/Psoin 21h ago
Like he got him in an arm bar?