Why Will Smith's Oscars Attack Boosted Demi Moore On Twitter
Even if you weren't following the Oscars this year, you likely already know about the now-infamous incident involving Will Smith and Chris Rock. If you are one of the few still not aware, during the ceremony, Rock took the stage to present the award for best documentary. During his introduction, Rock cracked a joke at the expense of Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, that did not sit well with the couple. Smith walked up to Rock on the stage and slapped him, before going back to his seat and shouting a few choice words at the presenter from the audience.
People responded to the incident quickly, both at the ceremony itself and all across social media. The aftermath saw a myriad of opinions, takes, and general discourse about what transpired. And amidst all the opinions, Demi Moore got a boost of attention on Twitter in conjunction with the incident. Why did that happen, you must be wondering? Fret not, as we will clear this right up.
Rock referenced Demi Moore's movie G.I. Jane in his joke
The joke Chris Rock told was a one-liner: "Jada, I love ya. 'G.I. Jane 2' — can't wait to see it." The reference was to the 1997 film "G.I. Jane," which was famous for having its star Demi Moore rocking a shaved head. Jada Pinkett Smith was also sporting a bald head at the Oscars, but while Moore's character in the film elected to get rid of her hair during training to become the first woman Navy Seal, Pinkett Smith has been open about living with the auto-immune condition called alopecia, which presents hair loss as a symptom. Despite the differences in circumstances, the "G.I. Jane" reference caused Moore to become a noteable topic on Twitter along with Smith and Rock.
Some believed the reference inadvertently gave Moore a welcome boost of attention, with @MovieGazetteO tweeting, "The real winner at the #Oscars this year was Demi Moore. Her name has been mentioned more in the last 24 hours than in the last five years." For others, though, the incident gave them a chance to swoon over Moore's iconic look. "I am thankful Demi Moore's beautiful bald head is back in the news. Absolute goddess in GI Jane," tweeted @WatchMyReview. Similarly, @DeanL29497139 posted a picture of Moore with her clean-shaven head with the caption, "This is the beautiful, strong Demi Moore as G.I Jane. Chris calling Jada GI Jane is actually like calling her beautiful and courageous."
It seems that fans used the unfortunate opportunity to appreciate Moore's beauty and talent — which was, perhaps, the only, remotely acceptable thing to come out of the incident.