It’s been nearly a year since the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star slapped the comedian on stage after he made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s alopecia. He has long since apologized, and the world at large has moved on. Golden Globes script writers and host Jerrod Carmichael apparently didn’t get the memo, as upon return from a commercial break, the host announced that during the recess they’d awarded Smith with the “Rock Hudson Award” for the best portrayal of masculinity on television, and the silence from the crowd was deafening—especially as the joke followed a heartfelt speech from Ryan Murphy emphasizing the importance of LGBTQ representation in the media. Twitter doesn’t often collectively agree on anything, but they seem certain on this: the slap jokes are tired. “We’re still doing Will Smith jokes?” one asked alongside a photo taken to represent exasperation, while another called the comment “unnecessary.” The consensus was that the “joke” was a full swing and a miss, made in poor taste and without proper forethought. Some gave the joke one thing: it was quite funny watching it completely fail to perform, especially riding in on the coattails of Carmichael’s Scientology dig, which did manage a round of laughter from the audience.
