I'm really quite surprised that defenders of Will Smith's actions have not commented on the video I posted, where Will Smith does exactly what Chris Rock did, i.e. picked on someone in the audience and mocked them for their baldness. Then again perhaps I should not be surprised. If you take a stance against some behaviour and then later find the person you are defending does the same thing, your position becomes rather indefensible. So, best ignore that piece of damning evidence.
Regarding Chris and Will crossing the line, who's line? Many think that Chris's joke was mild, some think it was tasteless. Comics get paid to roast people at these events. But Will did something that crossed into criminal behaviour. Lines are very clearly drawn with regard to what you can and can't do in civilised society when it comes to physical violence. Perhaps the defenders of Will believe that these laws should be changed to allow you to assault anyone who says something you dislike. Do you really want to live in that world? But lets ignore the legal aspect for a second. Do you really think the lines have equal weight? You can have a friend cross the line by dating your ex, or someone decapitating Nancy Pelosi, and thus crossing the line. Should the Nancy aggressor really be punished as harshly as your friend? Sorry, couldn't resist that one!
If someone is angry or upset about something, are they allowed to assault you? What happens if you pull out of a side road in your car and slow someone down, who then gets pissed at you. Do you think it is ok for them to smack you in the face for your error of judgement? How about if you forgot your partners birthday and they got upset about it? Should they be allowed to smack you in the face?
If you are a Democrat and Trump went up at an event and smacked Biden around the face, would you think differently? Or vice-versa, if a Republican. Separate the people from the deeds if you want to be more objective about this.
Will Smith was asked to leave by the president of the Academy and refused. I will say it again: he is arrogant, a bully, and a thug, and thinks he is above the law and rules other people have to abide by. Worth $300M, physically a much bigger guy than Chris, and adored in Hollywood, he has much power, and he has abused it. As they say, power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely.
Edit: One last thought. When a woman dresses provocatively and then gets sexually assaulted, was she asking for it? When Chris tells a provocative joke and then gets assaulted, was he asking for it?