To me there’s no way it’s been staged.
Yes Will was laughing, because he was on the laughter train, it was a light hearted event and this was a roasting with a comedian leading the evening. You and I could be laughing at several things for something emotional to be dropped when it’s just not expected and as we are human it would take a few seconds to set in whilst we finish laughing. But Jayda’s face says it all. We dont see Will looking at Jayda because the camera is on Chris Rock but I think he’d obviously see she was hurt.
Chris rock messing up his words after and trying to keep it together and do his job remaining up beat. Slow down the youtube to 0.25 speed and he does seem to make contact open handed.
Someone else said it earlier, it’s too humiliating an ask for Chris, and for me personally I think Will is normally too much of a professional to agree to condone real life / non film violence on a national / global platform on the night he’s nominated for his first Oscar, even if it only was a slap (which some think was a punch). He’s never been about violence.
My other half is a professional Psychologist and this morning we were divided about it - I was happy to see Chris get a slap, you can’t rinse someone’s illness publicly. Sophie said most of us would never believe the scale / reach of the message that sends out and she’s disappointed, thinking Will will be as well.
Reading further into what’s been happening publicly with their marriage and all the exhausting campaigning lately, it sounds like the straw that broke the camels back.
I also think it is entirely possible Chris Rock didn’t know her hair style was caused by an illness, looking at Jayda from a distance it could look like a deliberate choice compared with people who I know who have Alopecia. Some women go bald as a statement or as a style and rock it. If she was choosing to rock it I think it suits her. Soph thinks Chris should know it’s an illness as its in the news but I think actually a lot of celebs avoid TV and news now.
Bit of a mess but I do think that it’s real.
