Dr. Phil Reveals What Bothers Him About The Will Smith, Chris Rock Oscar Night Slap

The now infamous slap between actor Will Smith and comedian Chris Rock during the 94th Academy Awards broadcast this past March has dominated the global conversation and sparked widespread division on the issues of race, toxic masculinity, and the phenomenon of celebrity. A joke by Rock at the expense of Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith, was the apparent catalyst for the confrontation. Dr. Phil says he is concerned by what didn’t happen at the awards venue that night to stop the physical attack from happening. “What bothers me? No one – no security or anybody came on the stage to protect Chris, and no one in Will’s camp – nobody stepped up to save him from himself,” says Dr. Phil. Watch the video above to hear what Dr. Phil’s guests, Founder and Executive Director of The Chicago Justice Project, Tracy Siska, Laura Rene McNeal, a legal analyst and professor, criminal defense and Civil Rights litigator Steve Greenberg, and Exavier Pope, an attorney, legal analyst, and host of the podcast SuitUp, are saying about the incident. And later, in the second half of Monday’s episode, “The Oscar Slap: The Aftermath Of Explosive Anger,” Dr. Phil discusses the psychology of Smith’s words and behavior on Oscar night. Check your local listing for air times. TELL DR. PHIL YOUR STORY: Have a story in the news?