Joe Rogan and Adam Sandler talk about the fallout from Will Smith's slap at Oscars: "Why did you do that?"
On episode #2187 of the Joe Rogan Experience, the UFC color commentator welcomed legendary actor Adam Sandler to the podcast, discussing various topics such as Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the 94th Academy Awards in 2022. The incident quickly became viral, marking one of the most talked-about events of that year.
However, due to the slap's uncharacteristic nature, many expressed both astonishment and disappointment in both Rock and Smith over the incident. Rogan has similar feelings regarding the now infamous Oscars moment, with Sandler matching his thoughts:
"It's like a guy just showing his *ss, like, you just pulled your pants down, showed the world your *ss. Why did you do that? He probably wakes up in the middle of the night going, 'Why did I do that?'"
Sandler was of a similar mind, but Rogan took it a step further, opining that Smith slapping Rock became so significant that there are people who think of it first as opposed to all of Smith's accolades as an actor:
"In everybody's mind when you see Will Smith, 'Oh, he slapped Chris Rock.' That's immediate. Not I Am Legend, not Muhammad Ali, not insanely good movies. The guy's an incredible actor. He's been in so many banger movies. He's a f***ing blockbuster movie star, and when people see him, they go, 'Oh, he slapped Chris Rock.'"
Check out Joe Rogan's thoughts on Will Smith slapping Chris Rock (1:24:28 and 1:24:56):
Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed and Rock opted against retaliating against Smith. Instead, he weaponized the moment into more material for his comedy specials.
This isn't the first time that Joe Rogan has spoken about the viral moment between Will Smith and Chris Rock
Two years ago, Joe Rogan and controversial MMA heavyweight Josh Barnett spoke about the incident on episode #1797 of the former's podcast.
The longtime UFC color commentator did not hold back on his thoughts, labeling Will Smith emotionally fragile for his actions:
"I think he was emotionally fragile and he acted on impulse. I think it's a foolish impulse that you do when you know there's no consequences."
Check out Joe Rogan and Josh Barnett talking about Will Smith's altercation with Chris Rock (1:56):
Ultimately, besides public backlash for his actions, Smith never suffered any tangible consequences for his actions against Rock.