Will Smith hit Chris Rock during the 2022 Academy Awards, after the comedian made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s hair while presenting the Oscar for best documentary feature.
The altercation occurred when the Rock said “Jada, can’t wait for GI Jane 2“, referring to her shaved head (Demi Moore played the role with a buzzcut). Smith walked on stage and struck Rock across the face, who responded, “Will Smith just smacked me.”
Smith replied, “Keep my wife’s name out of your mouth”, before later apologising in his best actor acceptance speech.”
Pinkett Smith has previously spoken about having the hair loss condition alopecia, addressing her hair loss during a 2018 episode of Red Table Talk.
Footage of the moment was cut out of the official Academy Awards stream in the US, but the moment has been going viral from broadcasts in other parts of the world.
GETTY IMAGES
GETTY IMAGES
After picking up the best actor award for King Richard, Smith said, “I want to apologise to the Academy. I want to apologise to my all my fellow nominees. Art imitates life. I look like the crazy father, just like they said about Richard Williams. But love will make you do crazy things.
“In this time in my life, in this moment, I am overwhelmed by what God is calling me to do and be in this world. I’m being called on in my life to love people and to protect people and to be a river to my people.
“I know to do what we do you’ve got to be able to take abuse, you’ve got to be able to have people talk crazy about you in this business. You’ve got to be able to have people disrespecting you and you’ve got to smile and pretend like that’s OK. I hope the Academy invites me back.”
Following the incident, Rock looked shocked and told the audience, “That was the greatest night in the history of television.”
While some have questioned whether the moment was set up, BBC journalist Steven Mackintosh wrote from backstage, “Jada looked annoyed, but at this point, it was assumed this was all part of some kind of pre-planned joke. Doubt began to creep in when Smith rose from his seat and hit Rock on the stage.
“Of course, both these guys are veterans of film and television and would know how to carry out a fake stage slap. Except, everyone was starting to think, it didn’t look that fake.’
Via Cosmopolitan UK.