“The slap” that won’t go away…
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Speaking to 100+ law students in Atlanta on Thursday, comedian Steve Harvey says he would’ve responded much less graciously to being slapped by Will Smith than Chris Rock did.
Harvey was the keynote speaker for an engagement Thursday at Georgia State University in Atlanta.
“I’m a Christian, but I’m really undeveloped,” Harvey said. “I don’t have high-level Christianity. On a scale of 1 to 10, I’m like a 2. That’s the level of Christianity I can work on. You slap T.D. Jakes, he’ll turn the other cheek. You slap me? If you sit back in your seat, Jada would have to move out of the way. That’s the type of Christian I am.”
According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Harvey spoke for two hours on various subjects, including his new show, his journey in the entertainment business, and the slap, which is still being talked about two months after it happened.
Harvey told the crowd he was honored and flattered to be invited to speak to GSU law students. He said he barely graduated high school in Cleveland. He went through periods of living in his car. He lost all his savings twice and had to rebuild. He had to overcome a stutter. He told the crowd hard work has been one of the keys to his success.
“You can’t outhustle me,” Harvey said. “My ability to work and grind covered up a lot of faults.”
Harvey went on to say Smith’s slap was a “punk move” and that he “lost a lot of respect for Will Smith.”
Smith was banned from all Oscars-related events for the next ten years and has publicly apologized on social media.
“I accept and respect the Academy’s decision,” Smith stated.
Rock has said he won’t discuss the incident further “until I get paid.” But Rock was in attendance when Dave Chappelle got attacked on stage recently. Immediately after the attack, Rock got on the mic and asked Chappelle, “Was that Will Smith?” The crowd erupted in laughter, and Rock’s quip took the edge off the moment.