Who, What, When, Where?!: Miscellaneous Celebrity News 2.0

[SuprSuprElevated]

5 hours ago, aghst said:

but maybe some of it?

In a word, 'no'.

[Guest]

For all the drama around the slap I am really impressed with how Jada decided to use the attention. On her web show she only briefly talked specifically about the incident and spent most of them time spotlighting the impact of alopecia. Including talking to the mother of a 12 year old who committed suicide after being bullied over her alopecia. 
Jada Pinkett Smith hopes Will Smith and Chris Rock 'have an opportunity to heal, talk this out, and reconcile'

[MsTree]

Jada is a self-absorbed phony. I believe she enjoyed Will's display whether she provoked it or not...because she said NOTHING about it, which means she condoned it. 

[Cinnabon]

1 hour ago, MsTree said:

Jada is a self-absorbed phony. I believe she enjoyed Will's display whether she provoked it or not...because she said NOTHING about it, which means she condoned it. 

She’s not obligated to say anything to literal strangers. 🤦‍♀️

[Notabug]

5 hours ago, MsTree said:

Jada is a self-absorbed phony. I believe she enjoyed Will's display whether she provoked it or not...because she said NOTHING about it, which means she condoned it. 

Had she spoken about it, she would've been condemned for fanning the flames.  She said nothing about it publicly, we don't know what she said privately.  Not making a public statement was really her only play here, IMO.

[aghst]

But she just made a statement now, saying she hopes they can make amends and reconcile.

Makes it sound like the incident was completely unrelated to her.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, aghst said:

But she just made a statement now, saying she hopes they can make amends and reconcile.

Makes it sound like the incident was completely unrelated to her.

Probably because she’s not responsible for either man’s thoughts or actions. 

The statement she made now was extremely neutral and was necessary since she was going to focus on alopecia. I don’t even like Jada but I don’t see how what she just did is a bad thing. It’s not her fault the majority of the media has chosen to focus on her very mild statement about Smith and Rock rather than the awareness she is trying to bring to why jokes like the one made can have real world and tragic consequences. 

[DearEvette]

Jada was sitting there, minding her business, ready to applaud her husband for winning an Oscar, when Chris Rock decided all by himself to body shame her and Will decided all by himself to slap Chris upside the head.

She had nothing to do with the actions either man decided independently to do.  Chris Rock has been shading Jada for years unprovoked and she's never clapped back at him publicly.  She was there in the room, smiling along with a joke at her expense. 

She shouldn't have to either make an apology or a statement because two grown ass men decided without her knowledge or consent to use her to make their own points.

And yet people insist that somehow she shares culpability when, Imo, she is a bigger victim than Chris because both men's actions have somehow blown back on her when all she did was sit there and mind her business.

[proserpina65]

1 hour ago, DearEvette said:

when Chris Rock decided all by himself to body shame her

I don't agree that he body shamed her, but the decision to make the joke was all his.  I also don't agree that Jada was somehow a bigger victim than the man who was assaulted.  I do agree, however, that none of this was her fault in any way.

[MsTree]

14 hours ago, DearEvette said:

Jada was sitting there, minding her business, ready to applaud her husband for winning an Oscar, when Chris Rock decided all by himself to body shame her and Will decided all by himself to slap Chris upside the head.

She had nothing to do with the actions either man decided independently to do.  Chris Rock has been shading Jada for years unprovoked and she's never clapped back at him publicly.  She was there in the room, smiling along with a joke at her expense. 

She shouldn't have to either make an apology or a statement because two grown ass men decided without her knowledge or consent to use her to make their own points.

And yet people insist that somehow she shares culpability when, Imo, she is a bigger victim than Chris because both men's actions have somehow blown back on her when all she did was sit there and mind her business.

Chris Rock is a comedian. He made a joke, he wasn't body shaming anyone. We have to stop using that terminology for thin-skinned people.

And yes, she DID have something to do with the slap. She rolled her eyes, and for some unknown reason, her husband decides to be her hero...and walks up to stage on LIVE TV to slap a comedian who was about to present an award. 

I think the least she could have done is said that while she may have been offended, she did not condone her husband assaulting Chris Rock. Violence is NEVER the answer to ANY issue, offended or not.

Edited June 3, 2022 by MsTree

[Katy M]

2 hours ago, MsTree said:

And yes, she DID have something to do with the slap. She rolled her eyes, and for some unknown reason, her husband decides to be her hero...and walks up to stage on LIVE TV to slap a comedian who was about to present an award. 

I roll my eyes all the time.  Nobody's ever gotten slapped over it. What a ridiculous blame to put on someone.

[Wiendish Fitch]

On 6/1/2022 at 2:15 PM, Notabug said:

Nope, none of it.  She has been publicly very open about the issues with her hair and that she is sensitive about it.  She cannot help how she feels, nor should anyone expect her to.  Her response, an eyeroll, didn't hurt anyone or disrupt anything.  What Rock said (presuming he knew about her alopecia) and what Will did are all on them.

Unfortunately, too often, people, especially women, get accused of being 'too sensitive' or having 'no sense of humor' when hurtful things are said about them.  Jada has every right not to want to be teased about her medical condition and has every right to roll her eyes when it happens anyway.

THIS.

Jada Pinkett Smith doesn't owe it to anyone to "buck up" or "be a good sport" when someone mocks her medical condition. FFS, she rolled her eyes, which is the mildest response ever. She didn't burst into tears, or start hurling produce, or... oh, I dunno, march up and slap the person in front of millions of people.

I completely agree that it's all well and good to have a "thick skin", but if no one owes it to you to respect your feelings, then you don't owe it anyone to laugh at their shitty jokes. You copy that, edgelord comics, particularly those over the age of 50? You. Are. Not. Special. If someone doesn't like your garbage humor, that's on you, not them.

[bluegirl147]

12 minutes ago, Wiendish Fitch said:

If someone doesn't like your garbage humor, that's on you, not them.

How many times have we heard if you don't like something don't watch it?  What was Jada supposed to do?  Get up and leave?  I don't even like Jada but for people to think she is somehow to blame for the slap is ridiculous.  

[Wiendish Fitch]

3 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

How many times have we heard if you don't like something don't watch it?  What was Jada supposed to do?  Get up and leave?  I don't even like Jada but for people to think she is somehow to blame for the slap is ridiculous.  

Unless she has mind control abilities that we aren't aware of and she really did whammy Will into slapping Chris.

Though, I gotta say, what a waste of a power. She should have used it to keep Will from making Seven Pounds and After Earth.

[Guest]

5 hours ago, MsTree said:

Chris Rock is a comedian. He made a joke, he wasn't body shaming anyone. We have to stop using that terminology for thin-skinned people.

I would say we have to stop assuming the person hurt is just thin skinned and can’t take a joke. For me the line is determined by if and how the joke can be explained. If it is only supposed to be funny because of how someone looks, their race or their gender it’s an insult masquerading as a joke. 

6 hours ago, MsTree said:

I think the least she could have done is said that while she may have been offended, she did not condone her husband assaulting Chris Rock. Violence is NEVER the answer to ANY issue, offended or not.

What would be the point when Will had already apologized? Will is the one who committed the act and he was the one with the responsibility to make a statement and he did. If she made a statement at the time it would have superfluous and she would have been attacked for being unsupportive. 

[bluegirl147]

20 minutes ago, Dani said:

I would say we have to stop assuming the person hurt is just thin skinned and can’t take a joke. For me the line is determined by if and how the joke can be explained. If it is only supposed to be funny because of how someone looks, their race or their gender it’s an insult masquerading as a joke. 

A lot of it is also intent. Was someone trying to be funny or was someone being hurtful? In this particular case Chris Rock had previously made jokes at Jada's expense.  Did we ever find out for certain if Rock knew she had alopecia?  

[SuprSuprElevated]

15 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

A lot of it is also intent. Was someone trying to be funny or was someone being hurtful? In this particular case Chris Rock had previously made jokes at Jada's expense.  Did we ever find out for certain if Rock knew she had alopecia?  

Seems that would be hard to prove, but I just don't believe he did.  Just a hunch/impression.

Edited June 3, 2022 by SuprSuprElevated

[Ohiopirate02]

13 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

A lot of it is also intent. Was someone trying to be funny or was someone being hurtful? In this particular case Chris Rock had previously made jokes at Jada's expense.  Did we ever find out for certain if Rock knew she had alopecia?  

Chris was in his misogynistic "bitches be crazy" mode that night.  Before singling out Jada, he was cracking jokes about how Javier Bardem needed to win his category that night before his wife Penelope Cruz won in hers lest she hold it over him for years to come.  

[SuprSuprElevated]

They should just have news commentators host the Oscars going forward. Some people would still be offended, but no one that matters.

[aghst]

Jada has the right to not find the joke funny or be hurt by it.

Third parties can be respectful of her and not laugh a lot but they have the right to find it funny too.

If she just gave a little smile, it probably wouldn't have blown up and nobody would have noticed the crack the next day.

She could have talked about how it's a problem for many women the next day but instead, she's had to talk about The Slap.

Again, she has the right to react to it in any way she wants.  She's not at fault for what Will Smith did but she may have precipitated it.

[ouinason]

She didn't even have to be offended to not find it funny.  It wasn't a funny joke.  an eye roll was the exact appropriate response, no matter what.

[Wiendish Fitch]

6 minutes ago, ouinason said:

She didn't even have to be offended to not find it funny.  It wasn't a funny joke.  an eye roll was the exact appropriate response, no matter what.

THAT'S WHAT I KEEP SAYING! Seriously, Chris Rock referenced a 25-year-old movie that no one cares about anymore. I thought he was better than that, but it seems he desperately wants to join The Aging Edge Lord Hack Club that also includes Bill Burr, Dave Chappelle, and Joe Rogan. 

[Zella]

29 minutes ago, aghst said:

If she just gave a little smile, it probably wouldn't have blown up and nobody would have noticed the crack the next day.

If Will Smith had kept his ass planted in his seat, it also probably wouldn't have blown up either. 

Edited to add: If Smith hadn't slapped Rock, Chris Rock would have been the unquestioned asshole of the night, even if it was unwitting because he didn't know about her alopecia. But Will Smith vaulted to the front of the line when he slapped him. I really fail to see how Jada is the asshole at all, and I say this as someone who is not a fan of hers. 

Edited June 3, 2022 by Zella

[Guest]

40 minutes ago, aghst said:

If she just gave a little smile, it probably wouldn't have blown up and nobody would have noticed the crack the next day.

So in the moment she is supposed to instantaneously control her facial response so that she doesn’t cause other people to have an unacceptable reaction. To me that it putting an unnecessary burden on her. Why is the burden on the hurt party to minimizes the impact rather than on any of the men to not be assholes?

40 minutes ago, aghst said:

Jada has the right to not find the joke funny or be hurt by it.

I would say she has the right to not find the joke funny or to hurt by it and to react in whatever way she chooses as long as she doesn’t attack someone else. 

40 minutes ago, aghst said:

She could have talked about how it's a problem for many women the next day but instead, she's had to talk about The Slap.

Because of Will’s choices not because of her own choices. 

40 minutes ago, aghst said:

Again, she has the right to react to it in any way she wants.  She's not at fault for what Will Smith did but she may have precipitated it.

By that same logic Chris Rock precipitated it by telling the joke. I can’t agree with anything that puts any responsibility on anyone other than the person who committed the assault. Will’s response wasn’t appropriate to what happened and he holds 100% of the responsibility for it. 

25 minutes ago, Wiendish Fitch said:

THAT'S WHAT I KEEP SAYING! Seriously, Chris Rock referenced a 25-year-old movie that no one cares about anymore. I thought he was better than that, but it seems he desperately wants to join The Aging Edge Lord Hack Club that also includes Bill Burr, Dave Chappelle, and Joe Rogan. 

Exactly. To me the “it’s a joke” defense has to be evaluated on the joke itself. This joke was lazy, unfunny and fell back on a tired trope that bald women look weird. 

[aradia22]

Quote

THAT'S WHAT I KEEP SAYING! Seriously, Chris Rock referenced a 25-year-old movie that no one cares about anymore. I thought he was better than that, but it seems he desperately wants to join The Aging Edge Lord Hack Club that also includes Bill Burr, Dave Chappelle, and Joe Rogan. 

Don't forget Ricky Gervais. Something that's always lost when people whine about who should be hosting these award shows. I'm sure Seinfeld would be in the club too if he bothered to do standup. 

[supposebly]

50 minutes ago, Wiendish Fitch said:

The Aging Edge Lord Hack Club

Thank you. I had to look up edge lord and it's very descriptive!

[Wiendish Fitch]

5 minutes ago, aradia22 said:

Don't forget Ricky Gervais. Something that's always lost when people whine about who should be hosting these award shows. I'm sure Seinfeld would be in the club too if he bothered to do standup. 

*Smacks forehead* How could I forget Ricky Gervais?? 

As for Seinfeld... remember when he dated a 17-year-old when he was 40?

Sorry, that was apropos to nothing, but I think it always bears mentioning.

[aghst]

37 minutes ago, Dani said:

So in the moment she is supposed to instantaneously control her facial response so that she doesn’t cause other people to have an unacceptable reaction. To me that it putting an unnecessary burden on her. Why is the burden on the hurt party to minimizes the impact rather than on any of the men to not be assholes?

People do it all the time.

it may not be true to her feelings but people generally choose not to be always unfiltered.

[PepSinger]

1 hour ago, aghst said:

If she just gave a little smile, it probably wouldn't have blown up and nobody would have noticed the crack the next day.

If I can say one positive thing about this pandemic, it's that wearing a face mask has prevented men telling me to smile for the past two years. I am sick of women being told to smile for the comfort and pleasure of someone else. Fuck that. To quote Rose from the Titanic, "I am through with being polite, damn it!"

[Zella]

3 minutes ago, PepSinger said:

If I can say one positive thing about this pandemic, it's that wearing a face mask has prevented men telling me to smile for the past two years. I am sick of women being told to smile for the comfort and pleasure of someone else. Fuck that. To quote Rose from the Titanic, "I am through with being polite, damn it!"

I think Rose threw in a more emphatic "goddamnit," and she's goddamn right. LOL 😁

I am all for being polite, but I don't feel any obligation to be polite to someone who is being an asshole. The onus for good behavior shouldn't be on the person who is minding their own business and is on the receiving end of someone else's shit. 

Edited June 3, 2022 by Zella

[PepSinger]

9 hours ago, MsTree said:

I think the least she could have done is said that while she may have been offended, she did not condone her husband assaulting Chris Rock.

Spouses are not required to answer for their spouse's behavior.

[DkNNy79]

Out of the three parties involved I would probably say I’m probably a Chris Rock fan.  Indifferent to Will and Jada (don’t love or hate).  The joke wasn’t funny and it was dated but I personally didn’t think it was offensive.  But I can see why others may be.  I didn’t know about Jada’s alopecia, but I don’t really pay much attention to celebrity happenings unless I’m a fan.  I thought it was just a hairstyle choice because Jada’s had very short hair before and looks amazing that way.

With all that said Jada is the innocent party in this incident and I thought her response was perfect.  I find her eye roll better than fake laughing if she didn’t like joke and was offended by it.  I’m assuming that was what Will was doing.

Edited June 3, 2022 by DkNNy79

[GiveMeSpace]

1 hour ago, PepSinger said:

If I can say one positive thing about this pandemic, it's that wearing a face mask has prevented men telling me to smile for the past two years. I am sick of women being told to smile for the comfort and pleasure of someone else. Fuck that. To quote Rose from the Titanic, "I am through with being polite, damn it!"

Yes! I love it and I feel more empowered in public and feel okay going out completely makeup free. I have a wardrobe of cool masks that I love. I have not had a cold or bug of any kind in years. I like to think it adds an air of mystery as well.  Until I can navigate life as an avator, the mask is the next best thing.

[bluegirl147]

1 hour ago, aradia22 said:

Don't forget Ricky Gervais. Something that's always lost when people whine about who should be hosting these award shows. I'm sure Seinfeld would be in the club too if he bothered to do standup. 

You know who never belonged to that club?  George Carlin.  I still miss him.

[aradia22]

Quote

Spouses are not required to answer for their spouse's behavior.

Eh... can I still side-eye Cheryl Hines? 

[Cinnabon]

10 hours ago, MsTree said:

We have to stop using that terminology for thin-skinned people.

Or - we should keep calling it out every time we encounter it. 

4 hours ago, Dani said:

If it is only supposed to be funny because of how someone looks, their race or their gender it’s an insult masquerading as a joke. 

Exactly. And we shouldn’t let this shit slide.

[Cinnabon]

3 hours ago, SuprSuprElevated said:

They should just have news commentators host the Oscars going forward. Some people would still be offended, but no one that matters.

Who matters, exactly?

[Cinnabon]

1 hour ago, PepSinger said:

If I can say one positive thing about this pandemic, it's that wearing a face mask has prevented men telling me to smile for the past two years. I am sick of women being told to smile for the comfort and pleasure of someone else. Fuck that. To quote Rose from the Titanic, "I am through with being polite, damn it!"

Yep. No one ever tells men to smile. I’ve been hearing that all of my life, since I was a little girl. Why should I smile if I don’t feel like it? And why  are women the only ones ever asked to smile?

[BlackberryJam]

13 minutes ago, Cinnabon said:

Yep. No one ever tells men to smile. I’ve been hearing that all of my life, since I was a little girl. Why should I smile if I don’t feel like it? And why  are women the only ones ever asked to smile?

I've hit that point in my life where I will tell men to stop being so emotional, ask them if they need a moment to compose themselves, and tell them they should smile more often because they are so much prettier when they smile.

Now, y'all know I don't do this to randos, but just to the mediocre (mostly white) dudes who are being offensive as fuck. 

Why is it that a woman is getting criticized more for rolling her eyes than a man is for a physical assault? Seriously, fuck that. 

Edited June 3, 2022 by BlackberryJam

[Prairie Rose]

2 hours ago, Wiendish Fitch said:

As for Seinfeld... remember when he dated a 17-year-old when he was 40?

I sure do!! I remember when it was going on. I'm still surprised that the relationship wasn't blown up in the press at the time. His show was big, but it wasn't quite a phenomenon yet. Social media wasn't around then, which probably has something to do with it.

If Julia Louis-Dreyfus had been the one on Seinfeld dating someone over 20 years her junior, the press would probably have been all over her. Just saying.

Edited June 3, 2022 by Prairie Rose

[Wiendish Fitch]

8 minutes ago, Prairie Rose said:

If Julia Louis-Dreyfus had been the one on Seinfeld dating someone over 20 years her junior, the press would probably have been all over her. Just saying.

Her career would have gone the way of Sean Young's, I can tell ya that. 

[Prairie Rose]

3 minutes ago, Wiendish Fitch said:

Her career would have gone the way of Sean Young's, I can tell ya that. 

The truth hurts!!!!

[bluegirl147]

45 minutes ago, Prairie Rose said:

I sure do!! I remember when it was going on. I'm still surprised that the relationship wasn't blown up in the press at the time. His show was big, but it wasn't quite a phenomenon yet. Social media wasn't around then, which probably has something to do with it.

It was widely reported at the time but it was treated as no big deal which I found baffling and gross at the same time.

[DearEvette]

3 hours ago, DkNNy79 said:

Out of the three parties involved I would probably say I’m probably a Chris Rock fan.  Indifferent to Will and Jada (don’t love or hate).  The joke wasn’t funny and it was dated but I personally didn’t think it was offensive.

For me, of the three I am a Will Smith fan.  So it really breaks my heart that he tarnished his legacy like this for fucking not worth it Chris Rock's ass. 

The thing is, Chris is not new.  He did a (not very good, imo) documentary called Good Hair.  He is very aware of how much baggage comes along with something as benign as just the simple way hair grows out of black folks' head and especially black women.  And there was a woman on that very documentary that spoke to him about the stigma and shame black women feel about just the sort of hair loss Jada suffers from.  And like I said above, he had been singling Jada out before in snarky asides apropos of nothing.

He knew what he was doing.  In my opinion he knew he could get away with shading her again, in her face, in front of a big audience because he knew he was in a safe place where he could tell snarky jokes on celebrities and he knew his audience.  No one but black women would have understood the subtext of his joke and mostly it would have been twitter commenters who took him to task.  And if anyone did, well he could always hide behind the 'it's just a joke' defense. 

But then Will had to show his ass.  And here we are.

[supposebly]

6 minutes ago, DearEvette said:

The thing is, Chris is not new.  He did a (not very good, imo) documentary called Good Hair.  He is very aware of how much baggage comes along with something as benign as just the simple way hair grows out of black folks' head and especially black women.  And there was a woman on that very documentary that spoke to him about the stigma and shame black women feel about just the sort of hair loss Jada suffers from.  And like I said above, he had been singling Jada out before in snarky asides apropos of nothing.

I remember him talking about it on the Graham Norton Show with some side zingers about his divorce. And for the first time I felt like he's quite an ass, making fun of people for no good reason. Even when he talked about black women and hair, it felt like he was making fun. And that was on the sofa at a talk show. Before, I liked him. After that, I felt quite a bit different about him. I never saw the documentary but I didn't want to after I heard him talk about it.

[Cinnabon]

2 hours ago, Prairie Rose said:

I sure do!! I remember when it was going on. I'm still surprised that the relationship wasn't blown up in the press at the time. His show was big, but it wasn't quite a phenomenon yet. Social media wasn't around then, which probably has something to do with it.

If Julia Louis-Dreyfus had been the one on Seinfeld dating someone over 20 years her junior, the press would probably have been all over her. Just saying.

I absolutely remember it and found it sickening. I also found the show hilarious. 🤷‍♀️

[Mabinogia]

10 hours ago, Wiendish Fitch said:

Jada Pinkett Smith doesn't owe it to anyone to "buck up" or "be a good sport" when someone mocks her medical condition. FFS, she rolled her eyes, which is the mildest response ever. She didn't burst into tears, or start hurling produce, or... oh, I dunno, march up and slap the person in front of millions of people.

Unless, before they got there, she said to him "if anyone makes a joke about my alopecia I want you to get up and slap them in the face" this is in no way her fault and even then, he had the option of saying no. 

IMO Jada reacted in the best way one could in that situation. A visibly annoyed face/eye role to let everyone know she was not okay with the "joke" and that she felt it was in bad taste, but nothing more aggressive that would derail the event that wasn't about just her but about all those people who were up for and who won awards. 

I am not a fan of hers, I think their marriage is very strange and she has terrible taste in men, but I do applaud how she handled being the butt of a tasteless and extremely misguided joke. 

Will OTOH....while I used to be a fan, that faded a long time ago and after the slap I can't fucking stand him. Violence is only really acceptable when defending someone. He wasn't defending Jada. There was no sign that she was going to be the butt of another joke. He was avenging her in the stupidest but most "macho" way possible. He was preening. It was about him being a big stong defender of his "little woman", not about protecting her. Really, if the slap hadn't happened I'm pretty sure most people would have forgotten all about that joke. I actually wouldn't have known about it since I don't watch awards and this certainly isn't going to make that change. 

[Prairie Rose]

9 hours ago, Wiendish Fitch said:

Though, I gotta say, what a waste of a power. She should have used it to keep Will from making Seven Pounds and After Earth.

Not to mention Wild, Wild West. 😉😁

[Annber03]

3 hours ago, BlackberryJam said:

I've hit that point in my life where I will tell men to stop being so emotional, ask them if they need a moment to compose themselves, and tell them they should smile more often because they are so much prettier when they smile.

Now, y'all know I don't do this to randos, but just to the mediocre (mostly white) dudes who are being offensive as fuck. 

In recent years, anytime there's some story about some prominent male figure going off on some big angry rant and lashing out on social media, and we see photos of their red, scrunched up faces and whatnot, it's been nice to see many out there reacting to those stories with, "And people say women are the ones who are supposedly 'too emotional' to be in charge of anything?" 

[Guest]

6 hours ago, aghst said:

People do it all the time.

it may not be true to her feelings but people generally choose not to be always unfiltered.

My point wasn’t that it isn’t possible (although it isn’t possible for everyone) but that it is an unfair expectation. I really disagree with the common belief that anyone (particularly women) should have to control their reactions solely to manage how other people will react to them. 

Far to often women are expected to do the emotional labor in all their relationships and it is extremely unfair and unhealthy. 

Jada should be allowed to have whatever reaction she has in that moment without having to be concerned about how other people are going to react to her. She shouldn’t have to slap a smile on her face to make other people feel better. One of the times I was told to smile by a stranger was in a moment when it was taking all of my willpower to not break down in tears after my mother died. How fucked up is that? In one of my saddest moments a stranger decide I needed to put on a show for them.