Whoopi Goldberg says Will Smith will face 'big consequences' after slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars
A member of the Academy's board of governors, Goldberg said on "The View" that she accepts Smith's apology, but there are consequences to his actions.
ABC, Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images
- Whoopi Goldberg says Will Smith will face "consequences" for his actions at the 2022 Oscars.
- Smith slapped Chris Rock on stage after the comedian made a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.
- Goldberg, who is on the Academy's board of governors, said "nobody" is OK with what happened.
Whoopi Goldberg said Will Smith will face "consequences" for his actions at the 2022 Oscars.
"Let me say this: There are consequences. There are big consequences. Nobody is OK with what happened. Nobody, nobody, nobody," Goldberg, who's a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' board of governors, said on Tuesday's episode of "The View."
Sunday night, Smith walked onto the Oscars stage and hit Chris Rock in the face after the comic joked about Jada Pinkett Smith's baldness. Rock said he couldn't wait for "G.I. Jane 2," a reference to the 1997 film in which Demi Moore shaves her head.
Pinkett Smith first discussed her alopecia, a hair loss condition, in 2018.
After the incident, Smith won the best actor Academy Award for his role in "King Richard."
Goldberg told her "The View" cohosts she couldn't comment on the situation saying, "I'm not going to talk to you about what's going on with the Oscars."
Instead, "The View" cohosts speculated about "what could have triggered" Smith to walk onstage and cause the now-viral moment and pondered what, if any, consequences he may face.
Rock previously made a joke about Pinkett Smith during the 2016 Oscars, causing some, including the women of "The View," to wonder if Sunday night's altercation may have been six years in the making.
Smith has since publicly apologized to Rock who has chosen not to press charges against the Oscar winner.
In an Instagram post, the "King Richard" star said the "G.I. Jane" joke "was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally."
He added: "I was out of line and I was wrong. 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."
On Monday, the Academy said it would launch a formal investigation into Smith's actions.
"This is not the first time craziness has happened onstage, but this is the first time we've seen anybody assault anybody onstage," Goldberg said of the Academy Awards.
The AMPAS board of governors is made of up 54 people. Goldberg is one of three members of the actors' branch, which also includes Laura Dern and Rita Wilson.