Nicki Minaj & 50 Cent Tweet Support For Will Smith After Slapping Chris Rock At Oscars

Hollywood is still reeling after the Oscars moment no one was expecting, and both celebrities, and pretty much anyone who can write online, are now sharing their opinions on which side was in the right.

If you somehow haven’t heard, Will Smith responded explosively to an insensitive joke by Best Documentary Feature presenter Chris Rock about Jada Pinkett-Smith’s shaved head, a result of the medical condition alopecia. Smith slapped the comedian in the face and yelled “Keep my wife’s name out your f––king mouth,” at him twice, shocking both Rock and the audience into silence.

Smith later won the Best Actor award for the biopic King Richard, and in his speech, he apologized to Rock and the Academy. He also said notably at the end of his emotional and sometimes-rambling speech, “art imitates life. I look like the crazy father. Love will make you do crazy things.”

Some have praised Smith for not taking Rock’s joke lying down after Pinkett-Smith clearly wasn’t entertained by it. The rapper Nicki Minaj decried Rock’s joke and was one who spoke out in support of Smith in several tweets on Monday. Minaj said she appreciated Smith’s response because “while y’all seeing the joke he’s seeing her pain.”

Smith has since released a public apology, saying in part, “My behavior at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable … I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness.” The Academy condemned Smith’s actions and said they were conducting an independent investigation into the incident that will take several weeks to complete, and could potentially result in them revoking the actor’s award. On Friday, Smith resigned from the Acadamy.