Jim Carrey Isn't Holding Back His Feelings About The Will Smith Controversy

The altercation between Will Smith and Chris Rock at the 94th Academy Awards has been a leading headline. Dubbed the "slap heard around the world," the incident — which seemingly came out of nowhere — happened following a joke Rock made at Jada Pinkett Smith's expense.

During Rock's bit, in which he was set to present the award for Best Documentary, the comedian made a joke about Jada's shaved head. "Jada, I love you. 'G.I. Jane 2,' can't wait to see it," he said, likening Jada's haircut to the 1997 film starring Demi Moore. In response to the remark, which was made in jest, Will stormed the stage and slapped Rock during the telecast. The shocking moment left Rock stunned as Will returned to his seat. Rock attempted to clarify that the comment was G.I. Jane, to which Will replied, "Keep my wife's name out your f**king mouth!"

Will, who won the Best Actor Oscar for his role in "King Richard," has since apologized for his actions in a statement posted to Instagram. However, a number of celebrities have publicly condemned the actor. One of those critics, legendary comedian Jim Carrey, was relentless in his response about Will.

Following Will Smith and Chris Rock's altercation at the Academy Awards, several public figures have come out in support of the "Seven Pounds" actor. Will's former co-star and "Fresh Prince" alum Janet Hubert voiced her support for the Philadelphia native, saying in an interview, "Yes, there's only so much one can take ... sometimes you have to slap back." While Tiffany Haddish told People, "When I saw a Black man stand up for his wife, that meant so much to me."

However, not everyone was pleased with Will's actions. Actor Jim Carrey, who has been a pioneer in comedy since the '80s, said he felt ill about the praise Will received following the altercation. "I was sickened by the standing ovation," Carrey said during an appearance on "CBS Mornings." Adding, "I felt like Hollywood is just spineless en masse. It just really felt like: 'Oh, this is really a clear indication that we're not the cool club anymore.'"

Carrey's criticism comes shortly after the Academy condemned Smith's action at award ceremony. In a statement provided to The Hollywood Reporter, the Academy said in part, "We have officially started a formal review around the incident." The outlet also reports that the Academy's board of governors are slated to meet on March 30 to further discuss the altercation.

Not only was Jim Carrey unhappy with the way his fellow actors reacted to Will Smith's now infamous slapping incident, but he also made it clear he wasn't thrilled with how the Academy handled the situation in the immediate aftermath. He told Gayle King on "CBS Mornings" that he believed "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" star should have been escorted from the venue after he stormed the stage, and suggested that the only reason Chris Rock declined to press charges against his fellow star was because the process would have caused too much (further!) drama.

Carrey also claimed that if he were Rock, he would have started a $200 million lawsuit against Will because the video of the incident will be around forever. He added, "You do not have the right to walk up on stage and smack somebody in the face because they said words."

As we know, Rock has so far declined to press charges over the incident, something The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed in a statement that did not explicitly mention Will or Rock by name. The police confirmed they were made aware of slapping altercation, but claimed that "the individual involved has declined to file a police report" (per Page Six). That doesn't mean the option isn't still open, though, as the LAPD noted that Rock still has the opportunity to get them involved in addition to the investigation being held by the Academy should he change his mind.

There has been plenty of speculation that there could have been more behind the slap that shocked the world than Will Smith may have let on, and Jim Carrey believes there's more to the story. "[The slap] came out of nowhere because Will has something going on inside him that's frustrated. I wish him the best. I have nothing against Will Smith. He's done great things, but that was not a good moment. It cast a shadow over everyone's shining moment," he said on "CBS Mornings" during the March 28 interview, adding, "It was a selfish moment."

While we don't know if Will may be struggling with something more in his personal life, an insider has claimed that there could have been some under the surface tension with Chris Rock before the altercation started. "When Chris hosted the Oscars in 2016, Jada [Pinkett Smith] was boycotting because of 'Oscars So White.' In his monologue, he made fun of her, saying she can't boycott something she wasn't invited to. Will was still mad about that," a source claimed to People. During that joke made seven years before the infamous slap, Rock suggested that Pinkett Smith deciding not to attend the ceremony that year was a pointless exercise, with the punchline being that she was not invited to the prestigious ceremony anyway.