Eddie Murphy is the latest celebrity to cleverly deliver a Will Smith punchline referencing Smith’s controversial act of slapping comedian Chris Rock during the 94th Academy Awards. Smith slapped the fellow comedic actor for making a joke about Smith’s wife, actress Jada Pinkett Smith.
Rock’s joke not only prompted a slap, but it also prompted Smith to demand Rock, “Keep my wife’s name out your mother f—–g mouth!.”
Well, during the Golden Globes on Tues., Jan. 10, Murphy was awarded the Cecil B. DeMille Award for his “outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment.”
As Murphy accepted this award, he decided to share three pieces of advice for rising entertainers in the industry.
“Do these three things,” he told to the intrigued crowd anticipating his words of wisdom. “Pay your taxes, mind your business, and keep Will Smith’s wife’s name out your f——g mouth!” Murphy said.
The 61-year-old’s joke brought down the house as everyone burst into laughter while giving Murphy a round of applause. Although Murphy’s humorous line is currently trending all over social media, he isn’t the first notable figure to brilliantly reference Smith’s action.
Here are five more of the best jokes about the Will Smith Oscars incident that took over the internet.
1. Jerrod Carmichael’s Tasteless Comparison of Smith and A Gay Actor
Host Jerrod Carmichael left fans divided during the Oscars ceremony after making a similar joke about the Oscars incident. Audience members dropped their jaws when the comedian made an unfamiliar reference comparing Smith to a late actor from the 1950s.
As the show returned from break, Carmichael began: “Ok, you guys, really quick…just some quick housekeeping stuff. While we were on commercial, we actually presented Will Smith with the Rock Hudson award for best portrayal of masculinity on television.”
He added, “So please give it up for Will Smith. Please.” He then began encouraging the crowd to join in the applause, which fell on deaf ears and received a faint response.
For those who are not familiar, Rock Hudson was a Hollywood icon known for his leading man roles dating from the 1950s. For many years at the height of his career the closeted actor’s sexuality was unknown to the public. According to History.com, Hudson was the first major celebrity to die from complications from AIDS when he succumbed to the disease in 1985.
2. Chris Rock Claimed He was Slapped by the ‘Softest N—a Alive’
Two months after Smith’s slap, Rock joined fellow comedian Dave Chappelle on stage during his comedy show in Los Angeles. The two men joked about how both of them were involved in previous altercations within the past couple of months.
Chapelle joked about when he was attacked by 23-year-old Isaiah Lee, stating, “At least you [Rock] got smacked by someone of repute! I got smacked by a homeless guy with leaves in his hair.”
Rock rebutted his statement saying, “I got smacked by the softest n—a that ever rapped.”
The 57-year-old’s comment sparked debates across social media, where fans were split between finding humor in the comical joke or condemning him for adding fuel to an already lit situation.
3. Terrance Howard in “The Best Man: The Final Chapters”
Terrance Howard’s character, Quentin “Q” Spivey, in “The Best Man” franchise is known for comically stirring up the pot during any scene that involves a heated argument.
That is why his comedic timing referencing Smith’s outburst couldn’t have been more perfect during the series’ climax as things began to go intensely wrong.
During the last episode of “The Best Man: Final Chapters,” an ugly argument broke out, which caused Taye Diggs‘ character, Harper, to say some disrespectful things to Melissa De Sousa’s character, Shelby, who is married to Quentin.
Although Harper’s delivery was harsh, Quentin agreed with his statement, taking Shelby aback. After Shelby asked Quentin to repeat himself, he carefully paused and then changed his response, adding, “I said keep my wife’s name out our mother f—–g mouth, n—a.”
Howard’s A+ delivery had fans cracking up and also had his character trending on social media for a few days.
4. 50 Cent Trolls Smith on Twitter
If the “In Da Club” rapper doesn’t do anything else, he will troll his fellow celebrities, and that’s exactly what he did just hours after the slapping interaction occurred.
In typical 50 Cent style, he uploaded a photo showing an emotional Smith with tears streaming down his face while he was on stage accepting his “Best Actor” award for his portrayal as Venus and Serena Williams’ father, Richard Williams, in the “King Richard” biopic.
“You have to win Oscars to do this kinda s–t. After I win I’m gonna slap the s–t out of a few people. LOL,” 50 wrote.
50 Cent’s tweet has received over 9,100 retweets and over 1,400 quote tweets from social media users who were amused by his normal act of trolling.
5. Vince Staples Joins In On the Trolling with a ‘Snowfall’ Meme
Rapper Vince Staples decided to join in on the jokes and use a meme of ‘Snowfall’ character Jerome, played by actor Amin Joseph. It was taken from episode 6 of season 5, where Jerome gets in the car with his wife after viciously beating up a man in the parking lot. Before driving away, he states, “Teach a man how to squabble, get that trigger next time, n—a.”
Staples’ meme is a quote tweet followed by a description of the event at the Oscars. His joke was followed by fans who sent laughing emojis under his post.
While there have been entertaining punchlines surrounding this event, many people believe the jokes are tiring.
“Baby Boy” actor Tyrese didn’t hide his feelings about wanting people to move on from the 2022s Oscars. In a recent Instagram post on Tuesday, Jan. 10, Tyrese urged everyone to “move on” from the jokes and even called Smith one of the “biggest influences in my life…”
He said, “I’m still team WILL SMITH there’s nobody on this earth that will ever influence me to ever have a change of heart towards the BIGGEST INFLUENCE in my life…….I’m just saying man…. Move on already I just watched EMANCIPATION for the 3rd time I just can’t believe how masterful this overall movie is…. #MyBrothersKeeper.”
Fans in agreement rallied under Tyrese’s post to share their opinions on the talked-about situation of 2022.
“Will Smith is a legend, nothing can change that.”
“What if our mistakes were constantly brought up? Move on!”
“They tried so hard to cancel him. The man’s spread so much positivity and been through so much and I’m always going to be team Will.”
