One of the event’s most talked-about incidents was Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars for making a joke at his wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s expense. The incident received mixed reactions from around the world, including several Indian celebrities. Amul, known for its creative doodles, also responded to the controversy.
The company shared a doodle about the issue on its social media account on Tuesday, with the caption, “#Amul Topical: Actor slams MC at Oscars!” In the artwork, it recreated the unexpected scene from Oscar in cartoon form. The poster includes a pun on Chris Rock’s name, “Chris Rocked by Slap.” Amul posted another pun on the poster, writing, “Snack, don’t smack.”
Amul’s strange doodle received a lot of positive comments from Twitter users, with some commenting that Chris Rock could have used Amul products as protection against slaps. One posted an edited photo of Chris with Amul butter on his cheek and wrote, “#ChrisRock could have used #Amul as a self-defense before joking…#WillSmith won’t have slapped. After all #amulmilk have huge respect Worldwide. Remember #AmirKhan of #PK.” Another wrote, “A buttery cheeks or hands could have saved Mr Rock.”
A third one joked, “I think Will was hungry. Always take amul chocolates and amul lassi with you next time.” Several users dropped laughing emojis on the post.
Will slapped Chris on stage at the 94th Academy Awards on Sunday night while the latter made a joke about Jada shaving her head. “Jada, can’t wait for GI Jane 2,” the comedian had said, referring to Demi Moore’s 1997 movie GI Jane in which Demi Moore’s character Jordan O’Neil shaved her head after joining Navy Seal and hides away her femininity, transforming into GI Jane. Jada, meanwhile, had revealed on her talk show a few years ago that she took the decision to shave her head after she was diagnosed with alopecia, an autoimmune disorder.
Will issued a public apology to Chris a day after the Oscars, posting on his Instagram account that he was embarrassed and that his actions were “out of bounds.” He wrote, “All forms of violence are poisonous and destructive. My behavior at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable.”