Thomas Hayden Church of Spiderman 3 and Spiderman: No Way Home fame, became one of the latest Hollywood figures to denounce Will Smith’s recent actions at the 2022 Oscars. In a reaction to a joke on his wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s hair loss condition, Will Smith stormed on the stage and slapped Chris Rock on his face. The live incident instantly became viral on the internet and millions worldwide have watched and shared it since.
With the flurry of different online reactions to the slap, one prominent response from people has been that of a negative backlash against the Fresh Prince star. Although the actor didn’t face immediate backlash from the celebrities at the moment, several actors and celebrities soon started coming forward, speaking against Smith and denouncing his actions at the Academy Awards.
“..He Should Have His Academy Membership Stripped..”: Thomas Hayden Church on Will Smith
The latest in the series of voices against Will Smith is that of Thomas Hayden Church. Popularly known for his role as a villain in the Spider-Man movies, Church won the nomination for an Oscar himself. In a recent episode of SiriusXM’s radio show “Debatable”, the actor called in and opined on the matter. “I think that Will Smith should be banned from the Oscars for the rest of his life,” Church weighed in.
The actor went on to rip on Smith, adding, “I’ve been in the Academy for 17 years and what he did, despite how he tried to scramble for an explanation and, quite frankly, I think a pretty pathetic excuse, that he was doing it out of love, out of protection for Jada.” Church continued, “I don’t know if it’s ever gonna be put to a vote with the Academy…it’s obviously a very big and diverse organization.”
Thomas Haden Church called in to @SiriusXM’s #Debatable yesterday and says Will Smith should be banned from the #Oscars after slapping @chrisrock.
For the full conversation listen here: https://t.co/xXkNMnaQ3L pic.twitter.com/KAsOpEwx1b
— Trunk Nation on SXM Faction Talk Channel 103 (@TrunkNationSXM) March 29, 2022
Church, who received an Academy Award nomination for his role in 2004’s “Sideways”, also weighed in on whether the Academy should take away Smith’s Oscar that he won for his role in King Richard, shortly after he assaulted Chris Rock. He added, “I think he should have his Academy membership stripped, but I don’t think he should have the Oscar taken from him.”
A day after his physical altercation with Chris Rock, Will Smith posted an apology on his official Instagram page. The actor also gave a tearful apology to the Academy during his winning speech. However, many people, including Hollywood celebrities like Jim Carrey are still denouncing and condemning Smith’s actions.
Also Read: Why Did Will Smith Slap Chris Rock At The 2022 Oscars?
