The organisation behind the Oscars has said it "does not condone violence", following an incident in which actor Will Smith slapped presenter Chris Rock on the face, on stage, during its live broadcast.
Smith hit Rock and verbally abused him during the event in Los Angeles on Sunday, local time, after the comedian made a joke about the shaved head of Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.
"The Academy does not condone violence of any form," the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences tweeted following the ceremony.
"Tonight we are delighted to celebrate our 94th Academy Awards winners, who deserve this moment of recognition from their peers and movie lovers around the world."
The Academy did not say whether Smith would be invited back for future events.
Rock and the Smiths were yet to comment publicly.
Following the incident, Oscars ceremony producer Will Packer took to Twitter to say, "Welp … I said it wouldn’t be boring."
Rock's mid-ceremony joke referenced the 1997 film G.I. Jane, in which actor Demi Moore shaved her head.
The comment was directed at Smith's wife, who told Billboard in December she has been living with the autoimmune disorder alopecia, which causes hair loss.
Smith walked up to the stage and delivered an open-handed slap to Rock following the joke, in a moment which initially appeared to be a pre-organised gag.
After returning to his seat, Smith exchanged words with Rock which included a twice-repeated obscenity, shocking the audience at the Dolby Theatre.
"Will Smith just smacked the s*** out of me," Rock said as the audience laughed, at first thinking it was a skit.
Back in his seat, Smith twice shouted back, "Keep my wife's name out of your f****** mouth."
The incident was not censored when it was broadcast in Australia.
Minutes later, Smith learned he had won Best Actor for his role as Richard Williams — the father of tennis champions Serena and Venus Williams — in King Richard.
In his acceptance speech, Smith broke into tears and apologised to his fellow nominees and the Academy, but not to Rock.
"Richard Williams was a fierce defender of his family," he said.
"Art imitates life. I look like the crazy father, just like they said about Richard Williams. But love will make you do crazy things."
The Los Angeles Police Department, without naming names, said in a statement that investigators were aware of the incident, but "the individual involved" had so far declined to file a police report.
"If the involved party desires a police report at a later date, LAPD will be available to complete an investigative report," the statement said.
Reuters
