George Lopez has become the latest to give his thoughts on this past Sunday’s Oscars telecast, where Will Smith effectively stunned the world by slapping Chris Rock, on stage, as a response to a joke that Rock made about Jada Pinkett Smith in regards to her hair. Speaking to People, Lopez — who, according to the report, is a “member of the Academy” of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences — sided with Rock while admitting that it feels like “deciding which parent you want to live with.”
Lopez also mentioned Wanda Sykes’ recent appearance on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” where she also backed Rock while calling the entire incident “sickening”:
“I think what Wanda Sykes said on [The Ellen DeGeneres Show] was very, very powerful. They’ve been friends for a long time, and a comedian never really wants to show their vulnerability … and I could tell that in Wanda, that it has affected her deeply that one of her best friends was struck like that.”
He also gave his opinion on how fans will begin to react at stand-up comedy shows as a result of what Smith did on live television:
“So, moving forward … I think that people will feel like they’re able to stand up and [do what they want]. You come to enjoy a show, not to make a statement.”
George Lopez and Wanda Sykes follow a line of comedians and entertainers who have condemned Will Smith, including Judd Apatow, Jim Carrey, Rainn Wilson, and Kathy Griffin, among many others. One in particular, Tiffany Haddish, took an entirely different stance than her peers:
“When I saw a Black man stand up for his wife, that meant so much to me … it was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen because it made me believe that there are still men out there that love and care about their women, their wives.”