Colorado Springs comedian and dermatologist both react to Oscars slap

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - It’s the confrontation everyone is still talking about: actor Will Smith slapping comedian Chris Rock at the Academy Awards Sunday night after Rock made a joke about his wife.

On Monday the Los Angeles Police Department said it's aware of the incident, but Rock has declined to file a police report against Smith. Despite that, the debate continues over whether either man went too far.

The slap from Smith came after Rock made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s lack of hair. She reportedly has a hair loss condition called alopecia. A Colorado Springs dermatologist says the condition can be taxing physically and emotionally on patients.

“Hair loss is a very emotional subject because hair is a very big part of our appearance day to day," said Dr. Maria Sheron, a dermatologist at Vanguard Skin Specialists. "We try to work with patients to make sure that their emotional needs are being met as well. We try and give them tactics to address the emotional component of their skin or hair loss condition.”

Some comedians don't think the joke was out of bounds, despite Pinkett-Smith’s alleged condition.

"I don't think there are many jokes that can go too far, let alone ones that have probably been vetted by the Oscars committee," said Mike Hammock, a Colorado Springs standup comedian. "I mean, I know as much about alopecia as anyone who's kind of briefly googled it. But as somebody who has the exact same haircut as Jada Pinkett-Smith, I think if I can live with it, she and her millions of dollars can live with it."

There is a fear, though, that Smith’s reaction could embolden hecklers.

"I think we're probably going to see an uptick in our drunk audience members walking on stage trying to slap comics for at least the next month or two,” said Hammock.

On Monday the Academy released a statement saying they've started a formal review around the incident and are exploring consequences for Will Smith.