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The AMPAS Decision Could Kill Comedy

[Blind Gossip] This very famous male comedic actor has done it all!

You’ve certainly seen him on screen and, if you’re really lucky, you have seen him live.

Although he has been working for decades, he just keeps going!

It’s not about the money anymore. He is incredibly successful and has enough money to live the good life forever. He just loves his job.

He loves coming up with new jokes and working out a set in a comedy club. He never seems to get tired of honing his craft and he loves a live audience.

He is now thinking of quitting.

His concerns over live performances has been building for a while. He says that the whole trend toward policing speech has really suppressed him and made it harder for him to do his job. It’s not fun.

Since a comic’s job is often to point out differences between people, it makes sense that it is more difficult to do this in a sensitive world.

But there’s one more reason he may quit.

This whole Will Smith/Chris Rock situation has really shaken him up. He says, “If AMPAS doesn’t take back Will’s Oscar, it’s basically open season on comedians.”

“Any audience member who doesn’t like what you say could feel justified in jumping on the stage and beating the f*ck out of you!”

During a live performance in a comedy club, the comic might literally be only three feet away from the audience. Even if they are performing in a large venue, the audience might be only ten feet away.

He was lamenting that this used to be fun but now he worries about cancel culture AND his physical safety.

He was saying, “Who wants to deal with the stress of possibly being physically attacked at work? Who would want to work out a set in front of a live audience? Who would want to do Vegas? Who would feel safe ad-libbing? Who would want to host an awards show?

Summary?

He says that this is a turning point for comedy.

“If AMPAS doesn’t do the right thing, they will have just created unsafe working conditions for every comedian in the country. Will Smith and AMPAS might just kill comedy.”

It’s an interesting perspective.

We’ll see what happens.

BG Note: AMPAS is the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. They run The Academy Awards and are currently meeting to decide what to do about Will Smith.

Similar: Like Carrot Top

Comedic Actor:

[Optional] What should/will AMPAS do about Will Smith?

Reader Interactions

Comments

    • gogators says

      That was my first thought too. I didn’t see the interview, I thought it was a measured response I have come appreciate from Maher (tho I don’t always agree with him.)

      Imma gonna say it as I see it:
      Dude Actor slaps Comedienne = Take Away Oscar. Actor attends mandatory Anger Management classes.
      White Actor hits Black Comedian = Take away Oscar, jail time, and actor expunged from society.
      NOTHING will happen to WS, but I would walk back that Oscar so fast….were it me.

  3. mayer2816 says

    good lord, so many.

    idk if jim carrey still do stand up but it could be him, chapelle, hart

  5. tinabopper says

    Jim Gaffigan. Married to wife Jeannie with 5 kids, travels, stand up, tv, films, author of a few books. I thought maybe because he has a family with young kids, this kind of thing might be making him more apprehensive to continue doing stand up.

    • Rooster says

      I love this Gaffigan but he seems to use common sense, his jokes are too funny but I’ve never heard him make anyone the specific butt of a joke; he’s very relatable.

  6. dylan_54 says

    Chappelle, I think Seinfeld’s humour is pretty clean so I doubt it’s him.

    I’m surprised WS hasn’t been officially kicked out of AMPAS yet!

  7. aaaApril says

    Not sure on the comedian theres a few that spring to mind (and to be different im gonna go for louis CK) but whoever it is is being dramatic. Given the widespread condemnation of Will over this personal joke I cant see people getting on stage to slap comedians over general ones. This comedian either thinks people in general are stupid or they are stupid.

    • PomegranatePam says

      There’s also people aggressively defending him and putting people on blast for merely agreeing with anti-slap tweets. The turnaround is like nothing I’ve seen, but I guess it depends on the sites you frequent if you’ve seen this or not. Anyway, I could def see someone thinking it will win them adoration with certain groups if they attack an out-of-line comedian.

    • laurelcanyonsecrets says

      Jim Carey tweeted that the award should be taken away. He is concerned for the safety of comedians

  10. SunnyVita says

    I’m not sure of the comedian. It literally could be any but Dave Chapelle tends to come to mind only because of a lot of his controversial remarks.

    I think Will should keep his Oscar but be banned from the Academy. He needs a constant reminder of how what should have been the greatest moment of his life was marred by his actions.

    • ashnic says

      I agree it’s probably Chapelle.

      WS should be stripped of his award and removed from the future nominations. He assaulted someone then went on to use his acceptance speech time to justify said assault.

  11. mellowpotions says

    It’s definitely Dave Chapelle. He’s the only one I can think of who really enjoys writing new material and does regular tours that aren’t sponsored by big streaming networks. He genuinely enjoys it but he’s also proven he’s not afraid to walk away from things that no longer serve him.

    • Hardball71 says

      well & what does Jerry Seinfeld rail on that would be controversial enough to warrant a slap? I think it has to be more the envelope pusher like Chappelle.

  12. luddite2 says

    Jim Carrey, although they all probably feel the same way. Will Smith should be banned and fed to Xenu.

  13. DreamyVelvet says

    Whoopi Goldberg heads up the Oscars committee. Given that she’s not a real Goldberg and didn’t feel the Holocaust was racist, she’s got a very real credibility problem. What happened at the Oscars, and the hypocrites consoling the perp, and not the victim, is very disturbing. They have to strip Smith of the Oscar, ban him from any future attendance and in a very strong message , make sure he doesn’t work for a long time.

    • spookie says

      You make a good point. Like Whoopi, I am a Jewish convert but I also found it strange that she changed her last name to something so stereotypical.

    • pitbull says

      Whoopie is a minor “govenor,” not in charge. Spielberg is in there too, and I understand he is NOT pleased at all. Whoopi has already said Will won’t lose the Oscar…as if there aren’t other committee members’ opinions to consider. While the Academy put out a statement immediately that they don’t condone violence, if they don’t take away the Oscar, then they are condoning the behavior. Allowing Will to keep the Oscar will be a deadly blow to a show that was already on life support.

  14. badgerette85 says

    I read this but can’t remember the comedian. Maybe Patton Oswald? Jim Carrey?

    AMPAS has to rescind the BA award and not allow WS to attend or be considered as a nominee for any future Oscar’s. He should have been escorted out immediately, but suspect he will get only a slap on the wrist. Such irony.

    • Alexis_Rose says

      I got a Seinfeld vibe from the post. The “on screen” comment threw me, but will assume it could mean TV screen as well as movie screen. I predict Will Smith will keep his Oscar, but I think he’ll be banned from their little voting membership club, at least for a specified period of time. I hope the fallout from the public is what really hurts him and his entitled family.

  16. Rooster says

    I apologize but but Chris was malicious in the joke and I am not good at receiving jokes because I am a seriously conscientious empath. Rooster is my real name!

    • Shmootorious says

      Define “malicious”. Comedians seldom perform without infusing a bit of ridicule in their sketch, and for all we know, Chris wasn’t aware of Jada’s condition. I’m someone who dislikes both roasts and pranks, and I personally didn’t find the G.I. Jane 2 comment to be that bad (neither did Will, if you watched his initial reaction). As a “conscientious empath”, I think it would make more sense to have compassion for the man who was assaulted and humiliated on live television, don’t you…

    • Searon says

      He was doing what he was hired to do. What hosts have been doing for years. Ith had no problem laughing at all his other jokes until wifey signaled she needed attention. After all. It wasn’t her night. She needed some way to make it about her. Absolute narc move. That’s malicious. Malicious is also anyone who thinks storming a stage and assaulting someone is okay.

    • Hardball71 says

      This joke was NOTHING compared to say Gervais roasting everyone royally. You must not watch much comedy. I get that maybe YOU didn’t like it or Jada didn’t but come one. This was tame & the response NOT proportionate to the comment.

    • mayer2816 says

      i got hurt easily by words too but even i think that joke wasn’t that bad either. on a 1-10 savage level, it was a 3? have you seen gervais’s joke?? 1. CR might not even know about Jada’s health condition (i think if he knew, he wouldnt have made that joke). 2. WS didn’t have to go to the stage, he couldve just said f you CR from his seat and then talk to him or even threaten him for all we know backstage if he’s that pissed.

    • aaaLizAH says

      It is tradition and these pampered kings and queens of Hollywood to expect to be mocked and roasted during the Oscars. You go in bracing yourself for the jokes. You handle it like a grown * person and leave with your head held high. Did CR know that absolutely gorgeous
      Jada has a small spot of traction alopecia? I doubt it. She’s has worn short hair forever now and her Army green gown had a very militaristic bodice – the GI Jane quip was fair and not all that hard hitting.

  20. redstilettos says

    This could be so many. Kevin Hart, Dave Chappell, Adam Sandler (close friend of Chris Rock), etc.

  21. butwhatever says

    My best guess: Billy Crystal
    If not, then Jerry Seinfeld

    What should be done about Will Smith? He needs a consequence for his personal behavior, like banning him from the ceremony.
    If Weinstein/Allen/Polanski still have their awards because of some rationale like ‘the Oscar was for the work,’ Smith should keep his too. [Imagine opening the can of worms that is 100+ years of Hollywood personal behavior and retracting awards for it. They’d need a warehouse for the repo’ed statuettes!]

    • PomegranatePam says

      Yep. Snooty film buffs are fond of saying, “Well I can separate the art from the artist.” If that attitude doesn’t extend to a Black man, the AMPAS aren’t going to know what hit them.

  23. aaasok says

    Don’t care to guess who the comedian is but it’s a valid point.
    They should take his Oscar back, if that was a genuine slap and not faked, it’s wrong to put your hands on someone & you shouldn’t be rewarded afterwards. Would you give your kid a medal for hitting another child?
    Will they? Probably not.

  25. spoofbyrd says

    The Will Smith slap of Chris Rock was a white on white cr. … Just kidding but this Comic could be Will Ferrel, Adam Sandler , maybe even Chris Rock . Rumors about that entitlement mentality Smith clan has been circulating for years . Will is a hothead. Wife is an egotistical, unprincipled Diva & one of the kids would fit in well with all the children except Charlie in the Wonka factory . Anyway I say strip that title of Will Smith . He killed his and his family’s career..

  27. IamnotMe says

    Perhaps Louis or Gervais. They both love the stage and are passionate about working out a joke from the point of conception to the final product. Burr, Chappelle and Seinfeld also come to mind.

    The same thoughts occurred to me regarding a comic’s safety. I hope more than ever that Will’s award will be taken away and he’ll be banned for a number of years. I’m thoroughly disgusted with his behavior.

  28. jewls.666 says

    No idea but Will should lose the Oscar but they won’t must be politically correct. Do not believe he deserved it in the first place.

  29. Della Street says

    No idea about the comedian.

    I detest any “comedy” that involves disrespecting or humiliating others. It’s mean-spirited and unfunny.

    As for Smith, they should revoke that award.

  35. chiente says

    David Spade? Saw him live last year and he has no discernable need to work. The guy loves what he does.

  36. carmen sanantonio says

    I don’t see enough clues in this one to guess who it is, but any professional stand-up comic will tell you this: if you tell jokes the audience doesn’t like, *that’s your mistake, not theirs.* Where does this guy think the phrase “read the room” came from?

    Being a successful, rich comedic actor doesn’t mean he’s exempt from that rule. If he’s worried that his jokes aren’t going to make people laugh, then he needs to write better material.

    Re: AMPAS/Smith, make him do some…

  37. DaniJo says

    Not sure who the comedian is but it sounds like an older person who is unwilling to change.

    Optional: I think Will should get to keep the Oscar but his voting privileges should be suspended for 2 or 3 years.

  39. Ultraviolence says

    I don’t know who the comedian is, but over the last few years, as the world spins out of control and cancel culture, fake news and censorship becomes the norm, I seriously miss George Carlin and wonder what he would say about things.
    Smith should be stripped of his award, but he probably won’t because Hollywood panders to successful celebrities and it’s very woke. I think they’re probably going to bar him from joining AMPAS, as is the right of every winner, and ban him from future…

  42. KeepGuessing57 says

    Jerry Seinfeld?

    They should strip him of his Oscar; in fact they should have hauled him out of the building when it happened and quickly figured out who the second vote getter was and awarded it to him. Saw King Richard, was not impressed. What will they do? Probably some temporary suspension cause that’ll teach him.

  43. Gerseychick says

    Revoke the Oscar…Otherwise, it will be more violence on comedians…Nobody should hit anyone…That is assault & battery…..Team Chris Rock…

  44. Conchord says

    I’ll guess Jerry Seinfeld, assuming that “on screen” could mean a TV screen.

    I don’t think they should take away his Oscar. Ban him for a while (if not for good) and add security precautions to keep it from happening again.

  45. BchBumNYC says

    Seinfeld?

    Let Smith keep the Oscar but kick him out of the Academy. Both Weinstein and Polanski still have their Oscars but are no longer members.

  47. Searon says

    Not sure who this is, but there’s no doubt the Rock/Smith incident will change comedy and every comedian’s approach to it from this point on. I think Chris will be tremendously impacted. Both by the act and the response. I feel for him. Will Smith should be banned from the Academy. I’m a Philly girl. When my nephew came to live with me, we proudly called him the Fresh Prince. He was someone my nephew admired and looked up to. Will gave him hope. Now his violence will be his legacy.

  48. northernlight says

    Adam Sandler

    They should give him a 5-year Oscar ban and not let this happen again. But they will just issue an admonition because they’re afraid of offending his fans.

  49. psychicdeath says

    It could be numerous people, but I’ll guess Dave Chappelle.

    The Academy should strip Smith of his Oscar and ban him for life. Unfortunately, they will do nothing.