Will Smith hitting comedian Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars proved to be the most-talked about moment of the night.
The King Richard star, who won the Oscar for Best Actor around 15 minutes after the altercation, took issue with a joke Rock made about his wife, fellow actor Jada Pinkett Smith.
Rock was onstage at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles to present the award for Best Documentary when he made a remark about Pinkett Smith’s appearance.
“Jada, I love you. GI Jane 2, can’t wait to see you,” he quipped, appearing to refer to Pinkett Smith’s shaved head.
GI Jane was a 1997 American drama film starring Demi Moore in a fictional story about the first woman to undergo special operations training, similar to the US Navy Seals. Moore, who won a Golden Raspberry award for Worst Actress for her performance, had a shaved head for the movie.
Pinkett Smith – who announced last year that she shaved her head after struggling with alopecia – could be seen in the audience together with her husband, rolling her eyes at Rock’s comment.
After the joke, Smith stood up and proceeded to walk towards the stage, prompting the comedian to utter an “uh oh”.
Smith then struck Rock across the face with an open hand.
“Wow! Wow. Will Smith just smacked the s*** out of me,” said Rock, looking visibly shocked at the moment, as a furious-looking Smith left the stage.
Smith was then heard yelling: “Keep my wife’s name out your f***ing mouth,” to which Rock replied: “Wow... dude. It was a GI Jane joke.”
“Keep my wife’s name out your f***ing mouth,” Smith bellowed again.
“I’m going to, OK?” Rock said, before looking back at the camera. “That was the greatest night in the history of television,” he said, before going on to present the award for Best Documentary to Questlove for Summer of Soul.
The Independent has contacted Smith’s representative for comment.
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Shortly after the incident, he appeared to joke about it on his official Instagram page, writing: “You can’t invite people from Philly or Baltimore nowhere!!”
Smith was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, while his wife hails from Baltimore, Maryland.
Find the full list of 2022 Oscar winners here. See the latest updates and reactions from the dramatic ceremony here, and read about the biggest talking points here.
