Chris Wallace Presses Legendary Oscar Host Billy Crystal About The Slap: Was Chris Rock’s Joke ‘Over the Line?’

CNN+ host Chris Wallace pressed legendary comic actor and well-known former Oscar host Billy Crystal about the slap Will Smith delivered to Chris Rock at this year’s show, and the joke that provoked it.

Mr. Crystal was Mr. Wallace’s guest on the latest episode of the CNN+ series Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace, during which the pair discussed Crystal’s career, his current stage project Mr. Saturday Night, and his stint as a popular and well-liked Academy Awards host.

Crystal expressed pride at having revived the show’s popularity when he took the reins in 1998. Inevitably, the subject of the slap heard ’round the world came up. Wallace began by lamenting a bygone era of respect, and asking about the joke that apparently provoked Mr. Smith to leave his seat and assault Mr. Rock onstage:

MR. WALLACE: Everyone’s got these things, but they have to do it, and but they’re coming. All right. Oscars, I got to ask you about the slap.

MR. CRYSTAL: Oh…

MR. WALLACE: I, we’ll go through it quickly, because one of the things that’s interesting about… You would take shots at the stars when you were hosting, but it was gentle and it was affectionate, and you had this sense of this mutual respect and good fellowship on your side of the footlights and their side of the footlights. First question: Do you think Chris Rock’s joke about G.I. Jane was over the line?

MR. CRYSTAL: I just thought it, one, it wasn’t a great joke, and two, it was why, why go after her, you know, so I thought it just misplaced. And I love Chris and we’re friends and I so respect him. I just thought it was wrong.

MR. WALLACE: Were you watching live?

MR. CRYSTAL: Yeah.

MR. WALLACE: So what did you think when suddenly Will Smith gets up?

MR. CRYSTAL: Uh, oh. Uh-oh. And then, you know, fortunately, you know, it was a horrible thing. It’s, and it’s it’s a crime. The fortunate thing is he, it wasn’t a closed fist, because then you might have had a Kermit Washington situation if… It’s a basketball reference. Rudy Tomjanovich, when he just destroyed him.

MR. WALLACE: Right, when somebody really gets…

MR. CRYSTAL: So and I thought Chris handle himself as well as he could and to keep it together. It was a shocking moment that I was concerned. Very much for the mental state of Will. That’s what, I was kind of very worried and concerned and shocked by the aftermath of that, too.

Watch above via CNN+.