Katherine Ryan says if Will Smith ‘can’t take a joke, he should stay home’

Katherine Ryan, 38, defended fellow comedian Chris as she told her followers that insults were the point of a “celebrity monologue”.

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Oscars: Will Smith slams Chris Rock after joking about Jada

Katherine Ryan lashed out at Will Smith for beating Chris Rock at the Oscars on Sunday night, saying if the actor “couldn’t take a joke, he should have stayed home.”

The 38-year-old television personality defended fellow comedian Chris as she told her followers the insult was the point of a “celebrity monologue” during an awards show.

Hollywood watched in shock as Will, 53, took the stage and slammed Chris for making a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head before winning the Best Actor award 15 minutes later.

Chris’ “Jada, can’t wait for GI Jane 2” joke regarding the movie character’s shaved head infuriated the actor as Jada, 50, suffers from alopecia and Will yelled, “Keep my wife’s name out of your f* ** out. *** mouth” after returning to his seat.

Katherine took to Instagram Stories and opened up the discussion with her followers.

As one fan wrote: “I don’t condone what he has done, violence is never the answer but just because Chris is a ‘comedian’ does that mean Will has to sit and watch his wife be insulted? Chris shouldn’t have said it, Will shouldn’t have hit him.”

To which Katherine replied: “Yeah he has to sit and watch his wife get insulted, yeah that’s the point of the celebrity monologue. Can’t take a joke, stay home.”

When another follower told Katherine that “the politicization and policing of black hair has been rampant for centuries, and it’s so complex and nuanced — Rock’s snide comment was way below the belt and incredibly damaging,” the comedian said she was aware of.

“Yeah, I know, and maybe you don’t know, that Chris Rock did an entire documentary called Good Hair advocating for black women,” she hit back.

The film was made in 2009 when Chris was prompted to explore the importance of hair in black culture after being asked by his then three-year-old daughter Lola, “Daddy, how come I don’t have beautiful hair?”.

It comes as Will may face the possibility of being asked to return his Oscar as backlash over his violent outburst mounts.

The actor won Best Actor for his portrayal of Serena and Venus Williams’ father, Richard, in the critically acclaimed drama King Richard, but his win was overshadowed by his attack on Chris earlier in the evening.

On Monday night, Oscars organizers said they would launch a formal investigation into the incident.

The statement read: “The Academy condemns the actions of Mr Smith at last night’s show. We have officially initiated a formal investigation into the incident and will consider further actions and consequences consistent with our bylaws, standards of conduct and California law.”

The statement released by AMPAS follows a late-night tweet following the altercation, in which they wrote, “The Academy does not condone violence of any kind.”

The probe could result in Will being expelled from AMPAS or suffering some sort of suspension from the organization and its events, including next year’s Oscars.

The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) confirmed that Chris declined to file a police report against the actor.

A spokesman for the force said they were “aware of an incident between two individuals during the Academy Awards program …[which] one person slaps another”.