Whoopi Goldberg fired back Thursday at critics who complained about “the Hollywood elite” letting actor Will Smith slide, giving him a standing ovation even after he slapped comedian Chris Rock at Sunday evening’s Academy Awards.
Goldberg, who had previously hosted the Oscars herself — and currently sits on the Academy’s Board of Governors — argued that it was oversimplifying the matter to say that all of Hollywood could be lumped into the same group.
What's next for #WillSmith following the Oscars? #TheView panel discusses possible repercussions after what happened between him and #ChrisRock. https://t.co/cVclFZQmjA pic.twitter.com/1YftERmMR8
— The View (@TheView) March 31, 2022
“It was an assault. So I kind of feel like there’s an — I think there needs to be a lot of self-reflection in Hollywood,” guest host Tara Setmayer said.
Goldberg argued that the situation unfolded during a live event, and while the Academy has since suggested that it could have been handled better, it could be difficult to see all aspects of the situation as it was happening in real-time.
“But then they gave him a standing ovation though, Whoopi, which I think again goes back to why some people feel like Hollywood elites are a bunch of hypocrites. Because they go out there and give these statements of moral superiority about things, and political statements, and then they’re standing … doing a standing ovation after he just assaulted Chris Rock!” Setmayer continued.
Goldberg argued that she, as a member of the so-called “Hollywood Elite” herself, would not have chosen to stand for Smith after he struck Rock. She also noted that at events like the Oscars, sometimes standing to applaud was more of a reflex than a conscious decision.
“I’m just — I just want to stop with this ‘elite’ stuff because, you know, a lot of us work for a living. We work. We collect a check. We got families. We try to do the same thing, the good stuff that everybody else tries to do. And it really pisses me off when people start to talk about people who work in Hollywood, not just the actors, but all the other folks. So please when you are talking about actors, be specific,” Goldberg concluded. “If you’re pissed off about somebody or how they act, don’t put it on all of us, cause that’s like saying all black people like chicken.”
Goldberg had previously suggested that Smith had only been allowed to remain at the Oscars after the incident because the Academy did not want to address the optics of forcing a black man to leave.
“The reason they didn’t go and take him out is because that would have been another 15 — 20 minute explanation of why we’re taking the black man out five seconds before they’re about to decide whether he’s won an Oscar or not,” Goldberg said. “So that’s, and I’m going to say I believe Will Packer made the right decision. He said, let’s get through the rest of this so we can deal with it wholeheartedly. So that’s what went on. This is not the first time craziness has happened on stage, but this is the first time we’ve seen anybody assault anybody on stage.”
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Source: Dailywire
