“The reason why Chris Rock could stand there, and get hit in the face, and then stay up there with composure and give his friend [Questlove] an Oscar is because he’s a comedian,” she said Wednesday onThe Howard Stern Show. (Questlove won Best Documentary Feature, which Rock, 57, was presenting at the time of the incident.)
“It was so upsetting,” Schumer toldHoward Sternon Wednesday. “And people made fun of me forsaying that it was traumatizing, but I don’t think it was traumatizing for me — I think it was traumatizing for all of us.”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.
From left: Amy Schumer; Chris Rock; Will Smith.Stefanie Keenan/VF22/WireImage for Vanity Fair; Amy Sussman/Getty Images; ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images
She also admitted it was difficult to see the behavior from Will, whom she has “loved forever” and was shocked to see react with physical violence.
“I don’t remember a time I didn’t think, ‘I love that guy,’ " Schumer said. “It was upsetting for so many reasons, and it was upsetting to everyone — everyone at home who didn’t even see what I saw.”
“Itwas shocking, and it wasa bummer,” she added. “For me, I had no thoughts of, like, how it affected me or my performance or anything. It was just upsetting as a person.”
Schumer also said she “thought right away” that Will “must be in so much pain,” and shared that she has texted with Rock since the incident. “I think he’s really smart; he’s not really addressing it,” she said of Rock. “He’s a pro. He’s a sweetheart.”
The day afterthe Oscars,Will — who won Best Actorlater in the ceremony —apologized to Rock in a statement, explaining he “reacted emotionally” because the “joke about Jada’s medical condition was too much for me to bear.” (She has been open about living withhair loss due to alopecia.)
Will has sinceresigned from the Academyof Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, which hoststhe Oscars. The Academy alsobanned the actor from attending its eventsfor the next 10 years.
At a comedy show earlier this month, Schumer said she was confident that her and her co-hostsWanda SykesandRegina Hallwere excelling in their roles until Will got onstage and struck Rock.
“It was just a f—ing bummer. All I can say is that it was really sad, and I think itsays so much about toxic masculinity. It was really upsetting,” she added, perThe Hollywood ReporterandE! News, before moving on to her other routines.
source: people.com
