Bad Boys Director Michael Bay Addresses Will Smith Slap: “I Don’t Really Care”

Will Smith’s slapping of Chris Rock at the 94th Academy Awards continues to dominate as a topic of conversation a week after the incident, but people are still talking about the slap and Smith is still seeing repercussions from the altercation, there’s at least one person who would rather talk about something else. Bad Boys director Michael Bay told Yahoo! that he doesn’t care about the slap and that there are more important issues that people should be talking about instead.

“First of all, it’s wrong to begin with,” Bay said. “But that’s all people are talking about. And I don’t really care. Hollywood gets self-absorbed. There are babies getting blown up in Ukraine right now. W3 should be talking about that.”

Bay, who said that he wasn’t watching the Oscars live, but received numerous texts about the incident, went on say that he’s never seen Smith lose his cool the way he did with Rock at the Oscars. Bay made his directorial debut on Bad Boys, which stars Smith and Martin Lawrence, then followed up and directed the 2003 sequel, Bad Boys II.

“I’ve worked with him, he is not that guy,” Bay said. “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 being with.”

In the wake of the incident, Smith has resigned from the Academy just days after the Oscars took place. The Academy is still planning to make a decision on formal disciplinary measures during its upcoming April 18th meeting.

“I have directly responded to the Academy’s disciplinary hearing notice, and I will fully accept any and all consequences for my conduct. My actions at the 94th Academy Awards presentation were shocking, painful, and inexcusable. The list of those I have hurt is long and includes Chris, his family, many of my dear friends and loved ones, all those in attendance, and global audiences at home,” the actor said in his resignation statement.

He added, “I betrayed the trust of the Academy. I deprived other nominees and winners of their opportunity to celebrate and be celebrated for their extraordinary work. I am heartbroken. I want to put the focus back on those who deserve attention for their achievements and allow the Academy to get back to the incredible work it does to support creativity and artistry in film. So, I am resigning from membership in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and will accept any further consequences the Board deems appropriate. Change takes time and I am committed to doing the work to ensure that I never again allow violence to overtake reason.”

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