Just like the rest of us, Jay Leno has some thoughts on “The Slap.”
As he prepared to travel to West Palm Beach for his Sunday night stand-up comedy show at the Kravis Center, the comedian, television writer and former “Tonight Show” host discussed the slapping incident between actor Will Smith and comedian Chris Rock last month at the 94th Academy Awards in Los Angeles.
Smith, who was attending the ceremony as an Academy Award nominee — he won for Best Actor in a Leading Role — walked on stage as Rock was speaking and slapped the comedian in the face in response to a joke he made about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. Smith then returned to his seat and continued to berate Rock.
Related:Chris Rock jokes he has ‘my hearing back’ after Will Smith Oscar slap, won’t talk ‘until I get paid’
More:Will Smith resigns from the Academy over Chris Rock slap at Oscars: ‘I am heartbroken’
Leno, who called Smith a “good guy,” said what he found most troublesome about the incident was the anger displayed by Smith after he left the stage.
“To me, the thing that’s most disturbing wasn’t the slap, because he was kind of smirking after he slapped (Rock),” Leno said. “It was the yelling of the obscenities. Then you go, ‘Whoa. What’s going on here?’ This is real anger.”
Leno also took issue with an announcement by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences that it planned to investigate the incident.
“What are you investigating?” Leno said. “It had to be the most recorded assault in history. I saw the back of his shoe, I saw Chris’ ear. There were so many cameras on this incident. What are you investigating? I know sometimes things are just what they appear to be.”
Leno also addressed ta number of other topics during a phone conversation Wednesday with the Palm Beach Daily News.
Stand-up has kept the 71-year-old California resident busy over the years, but Leno, an avid automotive collector, also writes a regular column for Popular Mechanics, hosts the TV series “Jay Leno’s Garage” and the game show “You Bet Your Life” (the co-host is his longtime friend and former Tonight Show Band leader Kevin Eubanks), and does voice and acting work for TV.
What can guests expect from the Jay Leno show at the Kravis Center?
Traditional stand-up comedy. I’ve taken politics out, only because it’s so divisive. I don’t dwell on it. I find now that when you mention a candidate in a joke, the audience pauses to see which way the joke is going. Can’t we just have comedy be comedy? Can’t we just be fun? I’m doing this game show called “You Bet Your Life,” and we sold it under the premise that we talk to people, but there’s no politics of any kind. I find that there are an awful lot of people that I really like, but I know if we discuss politics, we wouldn’t agree. So I don’t bring it up.
What is your stand-up schedule like?
I go out by myself. I don’t travel with anyone. I go to a place, I tell jokes, I come home. It’s not like I start in August and I end in May. I’m kind of taking care of some family members now, so I come home every two days. I try to be home most nights of the week.
Looking back on your career, what are you most proud of?
I’ve been married 42 years, so I’m proud of that. It’s amazing how disruptive (a comedy career) can be, especially if you’re a performer. I’ve seen people who were funny, and then they get divorced, and then the funny is more anger than funny. I always say behind every successful man is a woman, and behind every unsuccessful man there are two women. It’s my favorite expression, but it’s true. I have a calm to my life that I enjoy. We have fun. We do stuff together. Your comedy works best when you have a clear head.
What advice would you give young comedians today?
Try to work clean. If you’re reasonably clever, nobody notices. I’ve had people come up to me and go, ‘I listened to you for 90 minutes, and I realized you didn’t do any obscenities.’ They didn’t even notice it, because they’re laughing at the joke. Bob Newhart never had to resort to it, and neither did (Don) Rickles. People think Rickles did, but he didn’t. Not at all. I have nothing against any of the comics that work for me. If I take a comic who’s never been on stage, it’s easier if you can do it clean. There’s a new guy, Nate Bargatze, and he’s very funny. He works clean. Jim Gaffigan works clean, and he’s very funny. That’s the advice I would give to a new performer.
Do you have a favorite comedian that you follow, either past or present?
I like everyone. Robin Williams and I were good friends. I like all the comics. I can’t say that there’s any one more than the other, but you don’t want to watch too many because then you get influenced.
How did you spend your time during the early days of the pandemic?
It was fine. I come from the ‘never to explain, never to complain’ school. To me, I was fortunate that this happened in the twilight of my career. I was always one of those guys that said I was never going to turn a job down because it’s not enough money. I never wanted to be that snobby kind of guy. When relaxation is forced upon me, I actually sort of enjoy it. My wife and I did more stuff together, and I was OK. I felt sorry for new performers. When I first came to town, you could get up in a bar and pass the hat and tell jokes. You couldn’t even do that during the pandemic. So I felt sorry for the young people that came out (to Los Angeles) to be stars, and they didn’t even have the chance to show it.
Is there anything else we should know about you, or your stand-up act?
It’s just comedy. It’s not opinion. It’s just fun. It’s light. The news is horrible — the economy, inflation. It’s just comedy. Have some laughs. It’s light-hearted. Have a good time. I’m not attacking anybody. Everybody seems to like it. That’s pretty much where we are.
Tickets for Leno’s show at the Kravis Center are available at kravis.org. For more information, call 561-832-7469.
Jodie Wagner is a USA TODAY Network of Florida journalist. You can reach her from her at [email protected]. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.
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George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism