Will Smith slaps Chris Rock on the stage of The Oscars
Will Smith slapped Chris Rock while the comedian was on stage during the 2022 Oscars for making a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith, Will's wife.
Smith could be heard yelling obscenities at Rock after he returned to his seat.
The joke was about Pickett Smith's shaved head. Pinkett Smith announced in the past that she was going to keep her head bald due to her struggles with alopecia.
Smith could be seen laughing off the joke before walking up the stage and slapping Rock. Other than Rock's response to the attack and Smith's outburst, there was very little fanfare following the slap.
"Seems like Will Smith's plan to get comedians and the world to not make jokes about him is not going to pan out," tweeted screenwriter and director Judd Apatow. "The Williams family must be furious. Pure narcissism. Also- GI Jane was gorgeous. What exactly is insulting about being compared to a ripped, stunning Demi?"
Smith later won the award for Best Actor for his role in "King Richard." This was his first Oscar win. During his victory speech, Smith did not directly address the incident but made a speech about love, protecting family and advice actor Denzel Washington gave him.
"Denzel said to me a few minutes ago, 'At your highest moment be careful, that's when the devil comes for you," Smith said as he cried.
The Los Angeles Police Department released a statement about the incident, claiming that Rock did not wish to file charges.
"LAPD investigative entities are aware of an incident between two individuals during the Academy Awards program. The incident involved one individual slapping another. 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."
The Academy also denounced the slap through Twitter.
"The Academy does not condone violence of any form," they tweeted.
During the commercial break, Will Smith is pulled aside and comforted by Denzel Washington and Tyler Perry, who motion for him to brush it off. Will appears to wipe tears from his eyes as he sits back down with Jada, with Denzel comforting Jada and Will’s rep by his side. pic.twitter.com/uDGVnWrSS2
— Scott Feinberg (@ScottFeinberg) March 28, 2022
Will Smith just punched Chris Rock and told him "keep my wife's name out of your f***ing mouth" pic.twitter.com/1f1ytdbMRv
— CJ Fogler (@cjzer0) March 28, 2022
Seems like Will Smith’s plan to get comedians and the world to not make jokes about him is not going to pan out. The Williams family must be furious. Pure narcissism. Also- GI Jane was gorgeous. What exactly is insulting about being compared to a ripped, stunning Demi? #Oscars
— Judd Apatow (@JuddApatow) March 28, 2022