‘Bad Boys’ Director Michael Bay Says Will Smith’s Oscars Assault was ‘Wrong’

Simon KentApril 5, 2022

Michael Bay, who directed Will Smith in the 1995 blockbuster Bad Boys, said Smith’s physical assault on Chris Rock at the Oscars was “wrong” but added that “there are babies getting blown up in Ukraine.”

“First of all, it’s wrong to begin with,” Michael Bay told Yahoo Entertainment while on the road promoting the bank heist-gone-wrong thriller Ambulance. “But that’s all people are talking about. And I don’t really care. Hollywood gets really self-absorbed. There are babies getting blown up in Ukraine right now. We should be talking about that.”

***LANGUAGE WARNING***

This type of thuggish behavior has no place in civilized society. Will Smith needs to be charged for assault. pic.twitter.com/MydlQBTqBT

— Brigitte Gabriel (@ACTBrigitte) March 28, 2022

Bay was happy to vouch for Smith on a personal level after the two joined to help make Bad Boys one of the biggest stars on the planet before pointing out Smith damaged his reputation as one of the nicest guys in Hollywood through nobody’s fault but his own.

“I’ve worked with him, he is not that guy,” Bay said, before admitting he thought the slap was a comedy routine until he saw Smith return to his seat and start yelling abuse at Rock.

Will Smith, right, hits presenter Chris Rock on stage while presenting the award for best documentary feature at the Oscars on Sunday, March 27, 2022, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)

“I’ve never seen him lose his cool like that. I thought it was set up ’cause I saw the smirk, and I’ve been on set when Will screws with people, when he’s joking with people.

“Listen, it was a slap. It wasn’t a punch. He’s very good at fighting, he’s trained at that … But it’s wrong to begin with.”