Cory Booker Calls for ‘Grace’ After Will Smith Slapped Chris Rock: ‘Nothing at All Justified Violence’

During an appearance on Tuesday’s The View, Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) condemned actor Will Smith over slapping comedian Chris Rock during Sunday’s Oscars.

Smith went onto the stage and slapped Rock after the latter made a joke about the former’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. Later on, upon receiving the Oscar for Best Actor, Smith cried and apologized, though he did not mention Rock by name.

“I have to throw this in because it’ in the zeitgeist right now,” said View co-host Joy Behar. “We were talking about Will Smith and the Oscars. Do you have any thoughts on it?”

Booker responded:

Well, first of all, a lot of us who are in public life know there are going to be cruel jokes. And I’ve never been one to endorse that kind of humor. I think the best of our comedians which I’ve seen Chris Rock do are ones that highlight injustices, call our attention and engage us in a way with the absurdities sometimes of the injustice of this world. But nothing, nothing at all justifies violence. And what we saw was violence that night and it was just very, very disappointing. But again, let’s all extend grace. We’re all mountain ranges. We’ve all made mistakes. And the totality of who Will Smith is, who Chris Rock is was not defined by what I thought was a very unfortunate and low moment for the Oscars and all of us.

Booker is the first U.S. senator to comment on the incident, which The Academy Of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences condemned and announced on Monday is under review.

Watch above, via ABC.