Will Smith will survive this

He was wrong to attack Chris Rock on stage, but celebrities have done much worse and kept working.

The Artist Formerly Known as The Fresh Prince became the biggest movie star in the world when he punched an alien in the face, and later played Muhammad Freaking Ali, yet he’ll forever be known for another punch he threw last night.

No, not “Earf.”

It’s being called the most disastrous moment in Academy Awards history. (How quickly we forget the Rob Lowe/Snow White extravaganza, and Shakespeare in Love¹ beating Saving Private Ryan.) One of my friends even compared it to Michael Richards’ infamous comedy-club outburst and wondered if it might destroy Will Smith’s career in the same way.

I strongly doubt it. If anything, it might enhance his career if he handles the aftermath properly.

Rod Dreher, for one, is “halfheartedly” on team Will/Jada:

I appreciate a man standing up for the soiled honor of his wife. But it’s also the case that in showbiz, you have to be prepared to be insulted by comedians. It comes with the territory. I don’t think Will Smith had a problem with this until he realized that he was going to be in trouble when he got home for not standing up for her.

Nobody’s wife (or husband) should be considered off-limits for criticism and joking, but the Jester has to know what’s too far. Chris Rock crossed a line in insulting Jada Pinkett Smith over a medical condition. What if she were disabled and couldn’t walk, and Rock made fun of her for being in a wheelchair? Same thing. Had JPS chosen to shave her head as a fashion statement, à la Sinead O’Connor, she would have been fair game. But she shaved her head because her hair was falling out because of a disease over which she has no control. You don’t pick on somebody who is suffering from a chronic and incurable disease. You just don’t.

It would have been better had both Jada Pinkett Smith and her husband been able to laugh it off, but I understand why she couldn’t, and why he, as her husband, felt duty-bound to defend her against insult. I know everybody is mad at Will Smith today (“everybody” = Twitter), but count me as halfheartedly on Team Will. This is once again an opportunity for me to remind you that I am from the South, and ours is a shame/honor culture.

It’s not just the South, Rod. We’re all part of an honour-shame culture to some extent, which is why Twitter is what it is.