Joe Rogan believes Will Smith's actions at the Oscars on Sunday night could set a "terrible precedent" for comedy clubs. The podcast host was joined by MMA fighter Josh Barnett on the latest episode of The Joe Rogan Experience where the two got into the hottest topic on the Internet this week. Rogan ran through the play-by-play of the incident before describing the incident as a "great example of what's wrong with the glorification of just being able to go up to someone and smack them."
Barnett disagreed with Rogan's initial analysis of the situation, explaining that Will should've had a conversation with Chris Rock behind the scenes afterward. "In my opinion, if you want to settle things, go do it personally. Speak to the person first. Give them an opportunity to apologize," Barnett added. He described a situation where an acquaintance of his made his girlfriend uncomfortable so he talked it out with the guy to reach a mutual understanding. "But to assume people have malicious intent, especially in that position, I think, is an erroneous way of approaching it," Barnett added.
"I don't think it had anything to do with that," Rogan responded. "I think what he was doing was saving face. He was doing some weird movie thing. He was getting away with it like he lived in a fictional movie. Like, the idea that you think it's smart, while wearing a tuxedo, to walk onto a stage in front of the world... one of the biggest award shows on Earth, if not the biggest, and smack a comedian for the most mild joke. And then, sit there quivering saying, 'Keep my wife's name out of your fucking mouth' and everyone's going to sit there in the shit that you just took on the table. You just pulled your pants down and took a shit on the dinner table and they all had to sit there and look at that. That's what it's like."
Rogan went on to explain that Smith's celebrity privilege at that moment made him act out as if "he's a character in a movie." While he and Barnett agreed that Smith is "removed from reality," Rogan that it was even more peculiar that Will was able to accept the Oscar for Best Actor moments later. "It was a rare instance where someone is so enormously famous and successful like Will Smith that they literally still allowed him to not just win the Academy Award but also go up and accept it and give a speech after he assaulted a small comedian,” Rogan said. "...You can’t just go smack a man in the face in front of the world and go about business as usual. It sets a terrible precedent in so many different ways. It sets a terrible precedent for comedy clubs. Like, are people going to decide to go on stage and smack a comedian now?"
"I don’t necessarily think people are going to change their behavior but dumb people might, but also it’s like what are we saying as a society when the people that we look up to, for whatever reason, for good or for bad, we look up to actors. And the Academy Awards is supposed to be them in their most regal- their most regal outfits, their best behavior and to drop down to violence for something so innocuous as a G.I. Jane joke," he continued. "This is a nonsense scene where you’re allowed to just go smack someone!”
Check the clip out below.
