Jay Leno reacts to Will Smith's Oscar slap; calls it 'most recorded assault in history'

Former Tonight Show host Jay Leno recently reacted to the infamous Will Smith-Chris Rock Oscars altercation, calling it the 'most recorded assault in history'. The comedian mentioned that the most shocking instance wasn't the slap, as Will was 'kind of smirking' after slapping Rock, but the yelling of the obscenities.

According to Deadline, he added, "Then you go, ‘Whoa. What’s going on here? This is real anger.“ Jay Leno further expressed disapproval of the Academy's reaction to it, as it stated that it would “follow an official process that will take a few weeks.” 

Former Tonight Show host Jay Leno reacts to Will Smith's Oscar slap

Pointing to Academy's statement, Leno added, "What are you investigating?" and continued, "It had to be the most recorded assault in history. I saw the back of his shoe. I saw Chris’ ear. There were so many cameras on this incident. What are you investigating? I know sometimes things are just what they appear to be.”

However, he maintained that “Will is a good guy”. Setting the record straight that he's not making fun of Smith, Leno called the King Richard actor “a decent guy, model citizen, good role model." He iterated that the actor's behaviour stemmed from some 'emotional issues'. “There’s some emotional thing there, I hope he gets it straightened out," Leno stated. 

Apart from Leno, other comedians including Billy Crystal have also opened up on the instance, calling it a 'most disturbing' one. Billy further called the instance an 'assault'. Howard Stern, Jim Carrey, Kathy Griffin and others have also weighed in on the instance. 

The Oscars feud was followed by Smith's resignation from the Academy, as well as the Academy's decision to ban Smith from its events for the next 10 years.  The Academy's Board of Governors' statement read, "For a period of 10 years from April 8, 2022, Mr Smith shall not be permitted to attend any Academy events or programs, in person or virtually, including but not limited to the Academy Awards." However, Will Smith will be allowed to keep the Oscar he won in the Best Actor category for his stint in the film 'King Richard'. He can also receive a nomination and an award in the future, but won't be allowed to show up and accept it.

(IMAGE: AP)