After an exhaustive dissection of Will Smith’s mid-Oscars assault on Chris Rock on his show Monday night, Jimmy Kimmel admitted on Tuesday that it was still all he wanted to talk about. “I feel like if they discovered a live chicken on the moon, we would talk about it less than we do this slap,” the late-night host joked.
This time he zeroed in on the people who “think the whole thing was fake,” including Fox News “reporter” Lawrence Jones who said, “I really don’t believe that it happened, I think it was more of a staged act,” suggesting it was all just promotion for Rock’s upcoming stand-up tour with Kevin Hart. “I just don’t see this happening,” he added.
“Well the rest of us saw it happening,” Kimmel replied with a laugh. “What would lead someone to a conclusion like this? Will Smith destroyed his reputation on the night he won an Oscar so Chris Rock and Kevin Hart can sell concert tickets?” Explaining that those two comedy superstars don’t need the help, he added, “This is ridiculous!”
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From there, Kimmel highlighted some of the other absurd theories, including one that claims Rock was wearing padding on his face to “absorb the blow” as evidenced by a “clearly doctored photo” that has been making the rounds online.
Then there is an old video that emerged of Will Smith teaching a kid, who “believe it or not is named Chris,” how to take a fake slap in the movies. “Oh my god, they’ve been planning this since Chris Rock was a child!” Kimmel joked.
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