Will Smith: When not even the Oscar award saves you from a crisis

Will Smith won the Oscar for best actor for king williams. What should have been a wonderful day was highlighted by his assault to the comedian Chris Rock, presenter of the gala. And with this a turning point in his career is marked. Was it that serious? Time and clicks will tell.

This brand crisis becomes the perfect storm for all public relations: public figure, violence, social networks, live broadcast and thousands of celebrities and the world as a witness to give their opinion in real time.

Why did Will Smith slap Chris Rock at the Oscars?

rock made a joke and, in just a few seconds, the actor got up and slapped the comedian live in the middle of the Dolby Theater stage. And in the world version, the audio was removed, which did not allow Will’s shout to be heard: ‘Don’t have my wife’s name in your (insult) mouth.’ But that version that many of you and I saw was from a broadcast in Australiabecause for the rest of the world the image was cut off.

Jada Pinkett-Smith, wife of Will and who has publicly acknowledged that she suffers from alopecia due to an autoimmune diseasehad been compared with Lieutenant O’Neil from the Ridley Scott movie. Smith flew into a rage, punched Rock in front of millions of people on digital and TV and screamed. News, yes. But also a trend and a crisis of reputation that in the world of entertainment, if not well managed, can overshadow your income and that of your allies, even going through the culture of cancellation.

Oh, not to worry. Do not believe it. Already here in Austria (where I live) there are news programs that cannot put the news on the air if they show the actor’s blow. They argue that spreading it affects the law. The channel ORF was one of them.

Will Smith was comforted by Denzel Washington and other actors after he slapped Chris Rock

When your name is the protagonist of a crisis

It’s the price of fame; bold names attract clicks. Will Smith quickly chose to plead guilty and was free to move on to the next step: taking responsibility for his actions. But in this, according to the networks, a character intervened behind the scenes, his public relations officer or publicist as they call him in English.

Will Smith’s publicist waited for the commercial break to discuss with Will what he did publicly, taking advantage of the fact that the cameras were in off to go to recriminate him for his attitude, since it will surely cause him a loss in income. And surely he will have told him: if you win the Oscar you apologize and you will do your best. Only then was it worth doing.

It is said that a failure must be communicated in the same environment and channel where the crisis is. Will had less than an hour left to try to recover or at least calm down in the coming media tsunami.

entertainment media, bloggers and opinion experts will surely spend this week judging how to divide the blame between Smith, Rock, the Academy and even Jada.

What did Denzel Washington say to Will Smith during the Oscar commercial break?

To what extent the impact of Smith’s interruption was compounded by a gala where the Disney stamp was everywhere. Much, all enthralled between the Charm and the presentation of Beyoncé. It affected so much that the delivery of the Oscar in memory to Betty White had no impact. The echo of the image of that blow was still in the environment and on the cell phone screens.

It’s the price of fame; names that are bold and publicly recognized attract clicks.

Apologies, the moment of truth

How much did it cost you to say it? Did someone help you? Did lawyers, publicists intervene? Or it was a speech and own attitude, there are always doubts.

“I know to do what we do you have to be able to take abuse and people saying crazy things about you and people disrespecting you, and you have to smile and pretend it’s okay. But love makes you do crazy things,” Will said through tears at his acceptance speech. But by then the damage had already been done.

Regardless of whether his anger was justified, Smith outshone every award and show at the grand gala. And in digital, two clear sides were born: those who support Will and those who condemn violence. With an avalanche of memes on Twitter and people reacting in different ways: surprises, ridicule or solidarity.

“And this is how we do it”: This is how Will Smith’s son defended his father after slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars

‘Be careful, in the most important moment of your life is when the devil knocks on the door’, award-winning actor Denzel Washington told Will, as he comforted him, and Smith replied when he apologized. “Life imitates art and I became a crazy father, like my character. I hope the Academy invites me again”, he concluded.

How does a crisis affect the business and brand of an actor of the stature of Will Smith?

We will measure the effects this week. I assure you that there are brands and associations are measuring clicks, reactions and comments to know how deadly it is to seem next to Smith.

The role of communication and Public Relations management in a crisis is fundamental, especially because, as we have seen, they happen when you least expect it. Even in those moments that mean the highest in a career and can become a time bomb for your career.

Tips to save your reputation in a crisis

Calm down the scandal and regain control of the narrative in a few key steps (eye doesn’t guarantee an immediate recovery, but it does prevent further damage):

• Admit your mistake openly and with concern for those affected.
• Have a crisis plan that puts reputation before profit.
• Listen to social media coverage and respond appropriately.
• Stand your ground, but only where you have ground to stand on.

According to a survey by Deloitte, a staggering 88% of executives view reputation risk as a top strategic business concern.

If you suffer a public relations scandal, don’t make the problem worse by confirming the negative press with a defensive posture. (EITHER)

@soniayanezblum