Jerome Adams, News 8 medical expert, talks about slap at Oscars
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH/AP) — An event designed to be a celebration of Hollywood was jarred Sunday night after Oscar presenter Chris Rock’s comment and actor Will Smith’s reaction.
The comment during the Academy Awards was about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, who revealed in 2018 that she was diagnosed with alopecia. Smith felt like the protector of many including his wife after Rock made a joke about her appearance that didn’t sit right with him.
Dr. Jerome Adams, the News 8 medical expert who is a former U.S. surgeon general, said in an op-ed published Monday, “As a Black man, it deeply upsets me to see Black men go after one another for any reason.
“I have been on the receiving end of criticism from other famous Black men, including a king of comedy. Though such tiffs may scratch a temporary itch, no one comes out of such interactions looking the better for it.”
Adams talked about the op-ed and the slap on News 8 at 5 and 6 on Monday.
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences on Monday said it condemns the actions of Smith during Sunday night’s Oscars and it will launch a formal review of his slapping of presenter Rock.
After that announcement from the academy, Smith issued an apology to the comedian, the academy and viewers at home, saying he was “out of line” and that his actions are “not indicative of the man I want to be.”