A Slap Could Sting the Smith Family Brand

At this year’s Oscars, even before Mr. Rock took the stage, Regina Hall hinted at Smith’s relationship in a comical moment in which she impressively asked to personally inspect some of Hollywood’s most suitable bachelors, joking that the results from their tests for Covid were lost. “Will Smith,” she said. “You’re married, but you know what, you’re on the list and Jada seems to have approved of you. So you go up here. ” He laughed and sat down.

What got Mr. Smith on his feet, purposefully stepping across the room to hit Mr. Rock, was a commercial for Mrs. Pinkett Smith’s shaved head. It stung, Mr Smith later explained, because Ms Pinkett Smith had alopecia, which leads to hair loss. “Jada’s medical condition joke was too heavy for me and I reacted emotionally,” Mr Smith said in an apology to Mr Rock and others he posted on Instagram on Monday night. For his part, Mr Rock said on his comedy show on Wednesday that he was still working on the event. (A representative of Mr Smith declined to comment. Representatives of Ms Pinkett Smith and Mr Rock did not respond to requests for comment.)

For many viewers and fans, especially black fans, the incident with three of Hollywood’s most famous black artists was intense and easy to judge. “It’s a really difficult time because of all the ways it resonates with gender, race, power and brand,” said Miriam Petty, a film historian and professor at Northwestern University who studies black fame.

Some commentators have criticized Mr Rock for what they consider a low-impact joke. Others, such as actress Tiffany Hadish, who co-starred with Ms. Pinkett Smith in the comedy Girls Trip, applauded Mr. Smith for defending his wife’s honor, which Dr. Petty describes as understandable in the world. in which Black women and other colored women do not receive the same social protection as their white counterparts. But was this position anti-feminist? Does it praise violence? “Again, messy, messy, messy,” Dr. Petty said.

Since turning 50, Mr. Smith has lost some of his public image. A recent YouTube series, “The Best Form of My Life,” seemingly aimed at his father, who is not a superhero, is really about unraveling his own limitations on behavior. He traveled unguarded for the first time in years; he finally learned to swim; and tried to come to terms with the aftermath of his father’s death in 2016.

In a statement announcing his resignation from the academy, Mr Smith said: “Change takes time and I am committed to doing my job to ensure that I never again allow violence to go beyond reason.”