Everybody had an opinion to hold over the Will Smith-Chris Rock incident. The world watched the infamous episode, naming it ‘the slap gate incident’. Most people were quick to condemn Smith for his actions while sympathizing with Rock. It was considered an assault, although no complaint was filed against the actor. It also led to the creation of a crisis team at the Oscars to handle such situations better.

The assault over a joke led to one major question. Does a comedian deserve to get punched for making a joke? If any such incident takes place, how should the person on stage tackle it? Joe Torry gave his answer after putting himself in Rock’s shoes.

What would Joe Torry do if someone tried to smack him as Will Smith did to Chris Rock?

The Oscar incident left everyone putting themselves into Chris Rock’s shoes. What would one do in such a situation? During an interview on VladTv, comedian Joe Torry was asked the same question. He responded by saying, “Security was getting them or I was about to smack them with the microphone.” Although he assured about the security of getting the rogue audience member first. Torry did feel that Chris Rock should not have overdone the joke about Jada Pinkett Smith. However, accepted that the Emancipation actor’s actions were unjustifiable.

It took some time for people to gather what exactly happened when Will Smith went up on the stage. In a matter of seconds, the actor reached Oscar’s host and smacked him across the face. Regardless of the public take on it, things happened too quickly for anyone to prevent it. That is what led to the formation of a crisis team.

The behavior of an unruly audience has been brought to the spotlight with this incident. Something that many performers are fearful of.

What was the aftermath of the Oscar slap gate incident?

Will Smith’s case was turned into an example by banning him from the Oscars for a decade. He also withdrew his Academy membership. Comedians began discussing the issues they face, while other celebrities cleared that violence on such a big stage was unacceptable. This incident took place in March 2022. After this, the 2023 event was hosted by Jimmy Kimmel. The host quickly touched upon the incident before moving on from it.

What did you think of Terry’s answer to such a situation? Share your thoughts in the comments.