Comedian Earthquake appeared on The Breakfast Club with co-hosts DJ Envy, Angela Yee, and Charlamagne Tha God and shared his thoughts on the Oscars slapping scandal involving Will Smith, Chris Rock, and Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith.
Born Nathaniel Martin Stroman, the veteran comedian criticized Pinkett-Smith after she allowed Smith to walk on stage and slap Rock in the face while presenting the “Best Documentary” award, Atlanta Black Star reported.
“Personally, I feel sorry for Will ’cause you know he’s being beaten and abused by Jada–just saying,” the 58-year-old said. “That’s what happens when a man loves a woman who doesn’t love him, and he’s doing everything to try and make sure that … try to win her love.”
“I’ve been there before,” Earthquake admitted. “You have to make a decision. Either accept it for the love she giving and just accept that or just leave it alone, but you will never ever ever win her over ’cause you can’t make her heart feel what it don’t — and she don’t. And her actions that night showed it, and I feel for him.”
When asked to elaborate, Earthquake explained that even if the King Richard star believed that Rock disrespected his wife, the Set It Off actress should have stopped him.
“She knows her man, and she saw he was about to go up here. A woman that loves you would stop you,” he said. “And then we do radio, we know the rules of FCC, and it was at the Oscars. Will doesn’t even cuss, and he out here using profanity on a live broadcast. He knows Hollywood; he knows the rules.”
Though Pinkett-Smith hasn’t publicly addressed the incident, she posted a statement on her Instagram account about healing. However, Earthquake said she had multiple opportunities to correct the situation but chose other alternatives.
“She didn’t try and stop him, on there, on two occasions, and then lastly, man, she has yet to release the statement to say, ‘Hey man, my man is a good man; he lost his cool. It’s not indicative of who he is. He got over three decades of good work towards the people he never had that, he lost his cool, ain’t nothing, no,’” he said.
He continued, “She should protect her man. What he did was protecting her. A woman would come out and vouch for you, that that’s not you, that is not him. It’s just a natural — in my humble opinion — a natural reaction for a woman who sees a significance of what he did and what it’s gonna cost him if he was doing it for you.”
Additionally, Earthquake said the Baltimore native needs to discuss the situation and stop being “politically correct” and “circle the wagons and say this is my man; this is what I care about, he’s not like this. He lost it that day and that he’s human, and please don’t let this night define who he is as a person.”
Watch the full interview below.
