Alec Baldwin defends Chris Rock after Will Smith's Oscars slap
Smith stormed the Oscars stage after Rock made a joke about Pinkett Smith's balding head
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Alec Baldwin is siding with Chris Rock after the comedian was slapped by Will Smith at Sunday's Oscars ceremony.
The 63-year-old actor and producer took to social media early Tuesday with a message for Rock.
"I am not reading much about how, or even if, the producers attended to Chris. But I love you, @chrisrock," Baldwin posted.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"And I'm sorry the Oscars turned into the Jerry Springer show," his tweet continues.
WILL SMITH’S ‘BAD BOYS’ DIRECTOR MICHAEL BAY, OTHER CELEBS REACT TO CHRIS ROCK OSCARS SLAP
Will Smith, right, hits presenter Chris Rock on stage while presenting the award for best documentary feature at the Oscars on Sunday, March 27, 2022, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
Baldwin's post comes as he is overseas in Rome filming a new project. On Monday, the "Rust" producer was photographed video chatting with his kids.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Baldwin is not the first celebrity to weigh in on the slap scandal. In a video obtained by Fox News Digital, "Bad Boys" director Michael Bay was asked during a beach outing about the viral moment, which he said he hadn’t been watching live and "really didn’t see it all go down."
CHRIS ROCK WAS ‘SHAKEN’ BY WILL SMITH INCIDENT BACKSTAGE AT OSCARS: SOURCE
Bay said that he isn’t sure whether Smith should have been escorted out of the Dolby Theatre for the incident. The director doesn’t "know the rules, but it was a little unlike Will. He’s a very steady guy."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"My reaction was like everyone’s reaction," added the "Transformers" signal-caller. "He’s a great guy – I’ve never seen him mad. I just saw the clip, you know. And I’m no one to judge. He’s just not an angry guy."
Alec Baldwin is currently in Rome working on a new project. (Mega)
Janai Nelson, president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, wrote on social media: "I know we’re all still processing, but the way casual violence was normalized tonight by a collective national audience will have consequences that we can’t even fathom in the moment."
"There is only so much one can take… sometimes you have to slap back," the actress, who portrayed "old" Aunt Viv on "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, tweeted. "Celebrate the win… nothing else matters. Both actions were incorrect but Chris didn’t need to go there."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Smith publicly apologized to Rock on Monday night.
Alec Baldwin displays a silly face as he appears to be video chatting with his children from Rome. (Mega)
"Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive," Smith wrote in part on Instagram before publicly apologizing to Rock. "I was out of line and I was wrong."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness." He added that he is a "work in progress."
Smith stormed the Oscars stage Sunday night after Rock made a joke about Pinkett Smith's balding head. The comedian had said he can't wait to see her in "G.I. Jane 2." Pinkett Smith has been struggling with alopecia and has spoken about the condition publicly.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Alec Baldwin shared support for Chris Rock following Will Smith's slap. (Getty | AP)
Following the slap, Rock told the crowd, "Oh wow, Will Smith just smacked the s--- out of me."
"Leave my wife’s name out your f---ing mouth," Smith yelled back in response.
The incident ended with Rock saying he would not joke about Pinkett Smith again.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Representatives for Smith, Pinkett Smith and Rock have not responded to Fox News Digital's requests for comment.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Will Smith, left, and Jada Pinkett Smith arrive at the Oscars on Sunday, March 27, 2022, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. The Academy announced Monday it has launched a formal review into Smith's slap of comedian Chris Rock. (AP)
The move by Smith, 53, left viewers stunned and the lack of acknowledgement by the Academy confused many. By Monday afternoon, the Academy had condemned Smith's actions and announced a formal review of the incident had been launched.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Prior to that, the Academy released a short statement hours after the event concluded saying it doesn't "condone violence of any form."