‘Fly on the Wall with Dana Carvey and David Spade’ react to the Chris Rock/Will Smith Oscar incident: ‘Slap in the face for comedy’
Before chatting with Ben Stiller on today’s episode of “Fly on the Wall with Dana Carvey and David Spade,” the hosts shared their thoughts on the infamous slap heard around the world from Sunday’s Oscar ceremony. As friends and colleagues of both Chris Rock and Will Smith, the hosts had plenty of thoughts on the incident. Spade recapped some points from Rock’s appearance on the podcast in January, where he shared experiences with “double bullying” for being a small guy, Black, and letting people “walk over him.”
Spade shared that the Oscar altercation is a “slap in the face for comedy” and sets a “dangerous precedent,” specifically since Will Smith was allowed on stage again, post-slap. Spade explained that the audience still gave him a standing ovation when he won an Oscar for King Richard, and he did not use the opportunity to apologize directly to Rock at that time.
The hosts shared that they were “triggered” by this example of bullying. They believed some other underlying issues might have bubbled up at the moment, outside of the “G.I. Jane 2” joke made at Jada Pinkett Smith’s expense.
Later in the episode, Ben Stiller chatted with the hosts about SNL, directing Severance, and analyzing contemporary society. We’d recommend listening to Rock’s complete interview from January, where he shared he fought the bullies and unpacked how this event changed his life. Rock told “Fly on the Wall” that he “was bending over backwards to be nice” because he was frightened by his anger and credits therapy for his progress.
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