Livid Will Smith stormed the stage at The Oscars 2022 and hit host Chris Rock in the face last night after the comedian made a joke at the actor's wife's expense.
The drama unfolded when Chris joked about Jada Pinkett Smith's buzzcut, quipping: "Jada, can't wait for GI Jane 2."
Later on in the evening, Will won Best Actor and as he walked up to the stage he slapped the presenter, before returning to his seat and shouting: "Keep my wife's name out of your f****** mouth."
The joke Chris made was a reference to the 1997 movie G.I Jane - which starred Demi Moore sporting a buzzcut similar to Jada's.
Jada has previously opened up about her decision to shave her head, after suffering from alopecia, writes The Mirror.
Chris appeared shocked by the incident, as he tried to resume presenting the best documentary feature category.
He said: "That was the greatest night in the history of television."
Chris has previously joked about Jada in the past when hosting the Oscars in 2016, saying: "Jada Pinkett Smith boycotting the Oscars is like me boycotting Rihanna’s panties—I wasn’t invited!"
He added: "It’s not fair that Will was this good and didn’t get nominated. It’s also not fair that Will was paid $20 million for Wild Wild West!"
And fans of the awards flocked to Twitter after witnessing the incident.
One wrote: "What just happened? Was that real? Did will Smith really swing a punch at Chris rock?? #oscars,"
Another added: "No way I just witnessed Will Smith have Chris Rock shook of his life right now......"
After Chris left the stage, rapper Sean 'Diddy' Combs appeared and quipped: "Will and Chris, we’re going to solve this like family. Right now we’re moving on with love. Everybody make some nose."
Following the incident, it has been revealed that Will won't be facing police charges as Chris Rock has declined to file a police report.
A spokesperson for Los Angeles police says it is 'aware of an incident between two individuals during the Academy Awards programme [which] involved one individual slapping another.
"The individual has declined to file a police report. If the party desires a police report at a later date, LAPD will be available to complete an investigative report."
Following his father's heated on-stage exchange, Jaden Smith took to Twitter to seemingly show support for his dad.
"And that's how we do it," he wrote on Sunday after the broadcast had ended.
Jaden also shared a photo of himself wearing sunglasses in the backseat of a car, penning "My dad's speech made me cry."
Jada has previously revealed her reasons for shaving her head, after struggling with alopecia.
Speaking on Instagram last year, the actress explained: "Now at this point, I can only laugh… y’all know I’ve been struggling with alopecia. Just all of a sudden, one day…it just showed up like that.
"Now, this is going to be a little bit more difficult for me to hide. So, I thought I’d just share it so y’all not asking any questions…Mama’s gonna have to take it down to the scalp so nobody thinks she got brain surgery or something. Me and this alopecia are going to be friends … period!"
Moments after the shocking incident on Sunday night, Variety reported that Will's publicist Meredith O. Sullivan approached the actor and spoke with him during an break.
It was also reported that fellow actor Denzel Washington got up to speak to Will privately.
Later on in the evening, Will went on to win his first Oscar for his performance in King Richard and apologised on stage for his previous actions.
"Love will make you do crazy things," the emotional winner confessed, referencing his outburst.
He also revealed what Denzel Washington said to him after the smack: "At your highest, that’s when the devil comes for you."
Throughout his moving speech, the dad-of-two also spoke of Richard Williams - father of tennis legends Venus and Serena Williams - being a "protector" of his family.
He continued: "I’m being called on in my life to love people and to protect people, and to be a river to my people. You’ve got to be able to take abuse, you’ve got to smile and pretend like that’s OK."
Will and Jada's son Jaden Smith, 23, reacted to his dad's outburst and emotional speech, tweeting: "And That’s How We Do It."
The young star followed up his initial comment with a selfie, captioning it: "My Dads Speech Made Me Cry."
According to Variety, comedian Chris allegedly "declined to file a police report" following the altercation between himself and Will on stage.
A full statement from the Los Angeles Police Department reads: "LAPD investigative entities are aware of an incident between two individuals during the Academy Awards program.
"The incident involved one individual slapping another. The individual involved has 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 Academy broke its silence on the matter, stating it "does not condone violence of any form" in a statement on social media.
"The Academy does not condone violence of any form," the organisation tweeted after the show ended on Sunday night.
"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."
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