This is certainly the sequence that everyone will remember from this 2022 edition of the Oscars. The scene shocked both the viewers in front of their screens and the stars present in the room. After a bad joke from Chris Rock, Will Smith went on stage to slap him violently.
No, it was not a sketch!
Indeed, many first thought of a sketch as the Oscars ceremony can sometimes reserve for us. Chris Rock was chosen to present the statuette for best documentary film. During his appearance on stage at the Dolby Theater, the comedian had fun making fun of people in the audience and then turned to the wife of Will Smith.
Upon arriving on the red carpet, Jada Pinkett Smith appeared with a shaved head. Last year, the actress announced that she suffered from alopecia, i.e. significant hair loss. Chris Rock took the opportunity to comparing her to Demi Moore in the movie A Equal Arms of Ridley Scott in which the actress embodies a lieutenant with a shaved head.
Jada, I love you, can’t wait to see GI Jane 2
That’s when Will Smith gets up from his seat and decides to take the stage to approach Chris Rock and give him a spectacular slap ! Suddenly, the whole room is shocked. Some imagine then that it could be a sketch but when Will Smith regains his place alongside his wife, he shouts at the comedian still stunned by the slap:
Keep my wife’s name out of your fucking mouth!
What happened between Will Smith and Chris Rock there? ud83eudd14 #Oscars pic.twitter.com/lYznPBZyd0
March 28, 2022
Will Smith apologizes for his gesture
Shortly after, Will Smith returned to the stage to win the Oscar for best actor for his film The Williams Method in which he plays the father of Serena and Venus Williams. In tears, he made a point of apologizing for his gesture adding that “love can do crazy things to you“.
The Academy of Oscars said do not condone the actor’s gesture and condemned all forms of violence. Emphasizing that it was important to “celebrate the winners of this 94th edition“.
On his side, Chris Rock declined to press charges against Will Smith as indicated by the Los Angeles police who declared to have been aware of this incident, specifying that if the comedian wishes to do so later, an investigation report can then be drawn up.
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