Susanna Reid: 'No excuse for violence' following divide over Will Smith's 'slap'
Watch: Susanna Reid says 'no excuse for violence' following Chris Rock/Will Smith Oscars controversy
Good Morning Britain presenter Susanna Reid has made her views clear about the controversial events at surrounding Will Smith at last night's Oscars 2022.
Just in case you missed it, the 94th Academy Awards ceremony was thrown into chaos after Will Smith stormed the stage and appeared to hit Chris Rock in the face after the comedian made a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith's hairstyle.
Having previously opened up about living with alopecia, the comment, comparing her style to that of Demi Moore's character in film G.I. Jane, clearly touched a nerve with the couple.
But there seems to be something of a divide about whether Smith's actions were justified.
This morning the GMB breakfast show hosts continued the discussion, with Reid making it known she thought Smith's reaction was wrong.
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Addressing Smith's acceptance speech where he said: "love makes you do crazy things," Reid hit back by saying: "It's not ok to hit somebody".
"We are in 2022 and we're constantly arguing about equality and how important it is that women's voices are represented, but apparently a man still has to intervene on behalf of his wife and use physical violence," Reid continued.
When co-host Richard Madeley asked if it would have been different if Pinkett Smith had reacted in the same way as her husband the presenter replied: "I don't think anyone should be smacking anybody."
She went on to say that "unless someone is in physical danger and you are required to protect them or save them in some way by physically intervening I don't think that's ok".
The presenters' debate on the matter continued throughout the show with Madeley commenting that we saw a "moment of flawed humanity" before he added: "Clearly what he did was wrong..."
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Madeley said he was unsure about how he felt about Smith's reaction, but he didn't "condone it".
Later Ranvir Singh explained that she has changed her opinion on the controversial event after reflecting on how she would feel about her nine-year-old son seeing it.
"Now that my son's woken up and is about to go to school I'm thinking I hope he doesn't see that," she said.
"I'd tell my son, 'listen, you've to control your emotions. If someone tells a joke you walk away and tell someone.' It's crazy now to think that he would think that's okay."
Watch: Moment Will Smith slaps Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars
She went on to say that we need to teach boys to manage their emotions around violence.
Reid agreed, adding: "This point about 'I was defending her' I don't think that's okay. Of course if she was being assaulted I understand it, but not if a bad joke is made then you'd step in with violence."
The TV presenter continued pointing out that the Oscars was an opportunity for role modelling.
"They have just shown something that is going to have a huge impact on other people," she said. "And if they condone it and say, 'look, there was a justification for it' you are saying it's alright."
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The incident at last night's Awards then cast a cloud over the entire event and had an effect on Smith’s acceptance speech for his first-ever Oscar.
Smith apologised to both the Academy and his fellow nominees, but not to Rock, as he collected his gong, joking that he "looks like the crazy father" before breaking down in tears and containing with his speech.
Pinkett Smith, 50, has been vocal about dealing with hair loss for some time, first revealing that she was living with the autoimmune disorder publicly in 2018 on her Red Table Talk series.
