Jon Voight Weighs In On Will Smith’s Actions Toward Chris Rock At Oscars

As you may have heard by now, Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Academy Awards last night. Now, however, Smith has found himself an unlikely defender in the form of Oscar-winner Jon Voight.

In case you missed the slap that was heard around the world, you can check it out below.

Voight Defends Smith

“I know Will very well and I love him, he’s a great man,” Voight said on the red carpet, according to Fox News. “If anyone insulted my wife, I would be pretty angry too.” 

Smith smacked Rock in the face after the comedian made a joke comparing his wife Jada Pinkett Smith to “G.I Jane.” She is a bald woman who has been open about losing her hair due to alopecia. 

“Take my wife’s name out of your (expletive) mouth,” Smith was heard saying after Rock made the joke.

Related: Internet Erupts After Will Smith Slaps Chris Rock At The Oscars

Smith’s Emotional Speech

After slapping Rock, Smith delivered an emotional speech while accepting the Best Actor Oscar for his work in King Richard.

“I wanna apologize to the Academy. I wanna apologize to all my fellow nominees,” he said. “This is a beautiful moment and I’m not crying for winning an award. It’s not about winning an award for me, it’s about being able to shine light on all of the people. Love will make you do crazy things.”

The Academy responded by saying that it does not condone violence. 

“The Academy does not condone violence of any form,” the Academy said. “Tonight we are delighted to celebrate our 94th Academy Awards winners, who deserve this moment of recognition from their peers and movie lovers around the world.”

Related: Chris Rock Slams Cancel Culture, Says ‘People Are Scared To Talk’“

Academy Holding Emergency Meetings

Daily Mail reported that the Academy has been holding emergency Zoom talks to decide whether or not to strip Smith of the Oscar that he won last night. 

“Once the ceremony was over they called in key members to hold an emergency meeting about what action they should take,” said one source. “There have been calls to have Will stripped of his Best Actor gong. They cannot be seen to be condoning violence in any way and there are some people in the Academy who believe they should remove the award from him to make a point. Others, however, believe he should be allowed to hold on to it.”

The insider went on to say that Chris Rock has been offered a “package of after care” that includes a counselor, if he wants one. He has reportedly told the Los Angeles Police Department that he does not want to press charges.

Regardless of what happened from here on, it can’t be denied that this was one of the most unforgettable Oscar moments in history. The world of Hollywood truly is a crazy one, indeed! 

Related: Report: Chris Rock Will Not Press Charges Against Will Smith After He Was Slapped At The Oscars“