Amy Schumer said that she is ‘traumatised’ after Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars.
The comedian, 40, was in attendance at The Academy Awards ceremony on Sunday and witnessed the moment that Smith approached Rock on stage and hit him for making a joke at his wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s expense.
Schumer has since taken to Instagram to voice her thoughts on the dramatic events, writing: “I think we can all agree that the best way to unpack what happened is to stream my series @lifeandbethhulu and see me on tour this fall. But for real. Still triggered and traumatised.”
She went on to praise her ‘friend’ and fellow comedian Rock for not retaliating on stage at the awards show.
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“I love my friend @chrisrock and believe he handled it like a pro. Stayed up there and gave an Oscar to his friend @questlove and the whole thing was so disturbing.
“So much pain in @willsmith anyway I’m still in shock and stunned and sad. I'm proud of myself and my co hosts. But yeah. Waiting for this sickening feeling to go away from what we all witnessed,” she wrote.
Schumer’s worries come as other comedians and celebrities around the world have growing concerns that Smith's Oscars slap may have a trickle-down effect on comedy shows - even on a local level.
Star Wars' jedi Mark Hamill summed the feeling up adeptly, writing: "Stand-up comics are very adept at handling hecklers," he said on social media.
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"Violent physical assault... not so much."
Hamill’s tweet drew the distinction between speech and action, which American radio personality Howard Stern echoed on on his SiriusXM radio show.
“You don’t hit people over speech, certainly not at the Academy Awards, and Will Smith’s got to contain himself," Stern said.
Jim Carrey agreed, adding that 'if you want to yell from the audience and show disapproval or say something on Twitter [that’s ok]'.
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"You do not have the right to walk up on stage and smack somebody in the face ‘cuz they said words," the comedy great added.
Topics: Chris Rock, Will Smith, Oscars, Instagram, Academy Awards