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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Joel Leaver

Will Smith MOCKED over Oscars slap at Grammys - and comedian presents in HELMET

Grammy Awards' host Trevor Noah was among those at the music awards ceremony who poked fun over the controversy at the recent Oscars between Will Smith and Chris Rock.

It has remained a topic of much conversation since the film awards last weekend that actor Smith, 53, slapped comedian Rock, 57, on stage following a joke about the former's wife Jada Pinkett Smith, 50.

Following the slap - which was seen live on air - Smith returned to his seat but issued a warning to guest presenter Rock, telling him: "Keep my wife's name out your f***ing mouth."

The altercation has prompted discussion from viewers since it initially caused outrage during the Oscars, which were held last Sunday night (March 27) in Los Angeles.

Will Smith slapped comedian Chris Rock on stage at the Oscars last weekend (REUTERS)

And so it's no surprise that it was referenced during the opening monologue of the Grammy Awards this evening, which was delivered by the ceremony's host, Noah, 38.

The comedian referrenced Smith's warning in his monologue, telling the audience at the Grammy's this evening: "We're gonna be keeping people's names out of our mouths."

He wasn't the only person to bring it up this evening though, with the infamous moment providing some laughs as a reference point during the Grammy's pre-show ceremony.

Trevor Noah hosted this year's Grammys (AFP via Getty Images)

LeVar Burton, 65 - who was hosting the premiere ceremony, ahead of the main event - poked fun at the viral moment as he introduced guest presenter, comedian Nate Bargatze, 43.

During his introduction, Burton remarked: "Our next presenter is a comedian, if you know what I mean. So I need to caution everybody; remain in your seats and keep your hands to yourself."

That wasn't the end of the joke though as when Bargatze made it out onto the stage, he was sporting a padded helmet on his head - teasingly suggesting that it was a protective measure.

He commented: "They said comedians have to wear these now at award shows during their joke parts."

LeVar Burton joked about the altercation in the premiere ceremony of the Grammy Awards (Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
Nate Bargatze came on stage wearing a helmet in the pre-show event (Stephen Lovekin/REX/Shutterstock)

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The incident at the Oscars came after Rock - who was a guest presenter at that awards ceremony - made a joke about Pinkett Smith resembling the character G.I. Jane.

It's assumed to have been in reference to her shaved head, though Pinkett Smith - who's been married to Smith since 1997 - has been open about having alopecia.

Following the joke, viewers saw Smith head onto the stage and slap Rock, returning to his seat afterwards. It was there that he made his explicit warning to the comedian.

The altercation came after a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith (AFP via Getty Images)

It was reported in the immediate aftermath that Rock had opted against filing a police report, though officers are said to have been "prepared" to take action.

A producer of the show said that the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) would have arrested Smith, if Rock had chosen to press charges against the actor.

Will Packer, 47, spoke about what happened backstage in a recent interview with ABC News, allegeding that the altercation had been referred to as "battery" by police.

Chris had been a guest presenter at the Oscars (REUTERS)

Rock broke his silence over the incident at a recent stand-up gig in Boston - just days after he had been slapped live on stage at the Oscars awards ceremony last weekend.

He said: "I'm still processing what happened. At some point I'll talk about that s***. It'll be serious. It'll be funny, but right now I'm going to tell some jokes [at this comedy show]."

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