What’s Behind the Will Smith and Chris Rock Feud?
variety.comClayton Davis The feud between Will Smith and Chris Rock prior to the infamous “Oscar slap” goes back at least six years, according to sources.At the Governors Ball immediately following the telecast, Smith was the center of nearly every conversation.
After congratulatory moments with nominees and winners like Denis Villeneuve (“Dune”), Kodi Smit-McPhee (“The Power of the Dog”) and Marlee Matlin, co-star of “CODA” which won best picture, everyone had wide eyes and questions about whether the assault was staged.
Even the creative team behind Smith’s Oscar-winning role in “King Richard” seemed to be having difficulty processing the actor’s outburst.“I’ve known Will for two years and I’ve never known him to be like that,” “King Richard” director Reinaldo Marcus Green told Variety. “I’ve never even heard him raise his voice.” Tim White and Trevor White, the Oscar-nominated producers for the film, were also shocked. “I have no idea what happened,” said Tim White.“I’m trying to get out of my funk,” offered Trevor White.But Smith’s tensions with Rock go back several years.
At the Rock-hosted telecast in 2016, the comic cracked wise about Pinkett’s decision to boycott the Oscars because of the lack of diversity of its nominees.
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