Will Smith slaps Chris Rock during the Oscars after joke about Smith's wife
If you were watching the 94th Academy Awards Sunday night, you likely noticed a confrontation between Will Smith and Chris Rock on stage.
The confrontation took place while Chris Rock announced the nominees for a category.
Chris Rock made a joke toward Will Smith's wife, Jada, and said he was looking forward to seeing G.I. Jane 2. The joke was aimed at Jada Pinkett Smith's shaved head.
Will Smith immediately walked on stage after the comment was made and appeared to assault Rock on stage in the middle of his monologue.
After the physical altercation took place between Will Smith and Rock, Will Smith returned to his seat and words were exchanged between the two.
Smith could be heard repeatedly saying "Keep my wife's name out your (expletive) mouth!"
The comment from Rock comes after Jada Pinkett Smith revealed in 2018 that she has alopecia.
Soon after this altercation, Will Smith won the Oscar for best actor in a leading role for his role in the film "King Richard."
During his speech, he apologized to his fellow nominees and the academy.
“This is a beautiful moment,” Will Smith said. “Art imitates life. I look like the crazy father. But love will make you do crazy things.”
The moment shocked the Dolby Theatre audience and viewers at home. At the commercial break, presenter Daniel Kaluuya came up to hug Smith, and Denzel Washington escorted him to the side of the stage. The two talked and hugged and Tyler Perry came over to talk as well.
Smith shared what Washington told him: “At your highest moment, be careful because that’s when the devil comes for you.
“I’m hoping the Academy invites me back,” Will Smith said, as he concluded his on-stage remarks.
A representative for Rock didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
After the show, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences issued a statement saying it “does not condone violence of any form.”
The Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement that it was aware of the incident.
“The incident involved one individual slapping another,” the statement read. “The individual involved has declined to file a police report. If the involved party desires a police report at a later date, LAPD will be available to complete an investigative report.”
“That was the greatest night in the history of television,” Rock said before resuming his role as presenter.
A few minutes later, rapper Sean Combs — on stage to introduce a tribute to “The Godfather” — tried to play peacemaker and suggested Smith and Rock settle their differences at an Oscars afterparty.
“Will and Chris, we’re going to solve that like family at the Gold party,” Combs said.
The reverberations did not stop there. Several people approached Smith and Pinkett Smith in the commercial breaks that followed; Keith Urban hugged Smith during one stoppage in the show, and Nicole Kidman also went over to say a few words as well.
Backstage, during interview sessions with winners, the Rock-Smith incident seemed like something few — if anyone — wanted to discuss.
“I’m not talking about that,” said Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, the director of “Summer of Soul,” which won an Oscar for best documentary.
The confrontation overshadowed Smith’s milestone accomplishment. He was previously nominated twice for best actor, for his role in “Ali” in 2002 and “The Pursuit of Happyness” in 2007. In those films, he portrayed real-life characters: Boxing legend Muhammad Ali and Chris Garner, a homeless salesman.
This time, Smith won against formidable competition including Andrew Garfield, Javier Bardem, Benedict Cumberbatch and Denzel Washington — who won his first and only best actor Oscar award in 2002 over Smith for “Training Day.”
Pinkett Smith was also the subject of jokes from Rock when he hosted the Oscars in 2016. She did not attend the Oscars that year, saying at the time her decision stemmed from a lack of diversity among award nominees and how Black artists were not properly represented.
“I think we have to sometimes remember, like at a certain point, everyone breaks,” said TV personality Karamo Brown. “But I think these are two men that will actually come together, figure it out and like say ‘OK, enough is enough, I’m sorry.’ ... I haven’t been in that situation. I never condone violence or anything of that nature, but I also could understand protecting those you love.”