Jay Leno Says Will Smith’s Slap Isn’t the Most Disturbing Part of the Oscars

Jay Leno offered his thoughts on Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars. According to Leno, the most shocking moment for him was after the slap.

“To me, the thing that’s most disturbing wasn’t the slap, because he was kind of smirking after he slapped [Rock],” Jay Leno told the Palm Beach Daily News this week. “It was the yelling of the obscenities. Then you go, ‘Whoa. What’s going on here? This is real anger.’ “

After the incident, the Academy said it would “follow an official process that will take a few weeks.” Leno was incredulous.

“What are you investigating?” he said. “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.”

After the Academy’s comments, Smith resigned from his position with AMPAS and moved up its meeting, where it banned him for the next ten years from its events.

Other comedians quickly rallied to Chris Rock’s support after the event.

Nine-time Oscars host Billy Crystal called the Smith-Chris Rock confrontation a “most disturbing incident, for sure.” Like Leno, he was clear about the nature of the moment: “It was an assault.”

Howard Stern, Jim Carrey, Kathy Griffin also publicly shared their support for Chris Rock.