Will Smith and Chris Rock’s Shocking Altercation Overshadows Oscars Festivities

For a good part of Oscars Sunday “Damn Will,” “what just happened,” and “was that real” were trending on Twitter. What could have possibly happened to send social media into complete shambles? Let me break it down for you.

The 94th Academy Awards aired live on Sunday, March 27 on ABC with hosts Regina Hall, Amy Schumer, and Wanda Sykes. For a good portion of the show, it was subdued, but then one moment completely shifted the mood of the evening and became the focus throughout the remaining run time.

Chris Rock was presenting the Oscar award for Documentary Feature (which went to Questlove, Joseph Patel, Robert Fyvolent, and David Dinerstein for Summer of Soul (…Or, when the revolution could not be televised)). During his time on stage, he joked about Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz both being nominated for awards and what it would mean if Bardem won and Cruz didn’t. Rock then switched focused to Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith. He joked that he couldn’t wait to see “G.I. Jane 2” while pointing at Jada. There is no sequel to the 1997 film and it was Rock’s idea of a funny joke. The joke didn’t land well with the Smiths since Jada’s bald head is a result of her alopecia condition which she vulnerably openly talked about.

Smith took it upon himself to take the stage and slap Rock for his comments and when returning to his seat yelled “keep my wife’s name out your fucking mouth” twice. It was still unclear if the moment was scripted or a real alteration for Oscars audience members and viewers watching from home. Turns out it was VERY real.

UNCENSORED WILL SMITH FOOTAGE AS SHOWN ON AUSTRALIAN TV pic.twitter.com/NcRfdjWxqe

— David Mack (@davidmackau) March 28, 2022

Less than 20 minutes later Smith was announced the winner of Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role for his work in King Richard. During his speech, he cried and talked about being disrespected in Hollywood and having to grin and bear it along with apologizing for his behavior. But was he wrong? Of course, a crazy debate sparked online about defending your family at any cost vs. the use of violence as expression. It was definitely a moment that will go down in Oscars history and unfortunately may cost Smith his first Oscar. The Academy has launched an investigation and said in a statement obtained by EW, “The Academy condemns the actions of Mr. Smith at last night’s show. We have officially started a formal review around the incident and will explore further action and consequences in accordance with our Bylaws, Standards of Conduct and California law.” It seems this incident will not be dying down any time soon.

Watch the moment leading up to the Oscars 2022 slap between Will Smith and Chris Rock in the clip below. Let’s get your thoughts. Was Chris Rock’s joke in poor taste? Can you agree with Will Smith’s choice of action? Share your thoughts in the comments.

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Photo: ABC screengrab