Comedian Chris Rock while presenting the best documentary prize with a short comedy routine, had cracked a joke
comparing Jada Pinkett Smith’s tightly cropped hair to Demi Moore’s appearance in the film “G.I. Jane” and
suggesting she appear in a sequel.
In response to this, Will Smith stormed the Oscars stage and slapped comedian Chris Rock across the face for joking about his wife before returning to his seat alongside Jada and shouting profanities.
This incident triggered awkward silence and confusion in the Dolby Theatre at Sunday’s gala that immediately went viral
and left stunned viewers questioning if it had been scripted or genuine.
“Keep my wife’s name out of your fucking mouth,” yelled Smith, forcing the producers to bleep out several seconds of audio from the televised broadcast in the United States.
Jada Pinkett Smith, who is also an actress, suffers from alopecia, and publicly revealed her diagnosis in 2018.
According to The Hollywood Reporter’s Scott Feinberg, in attendance, a tearful Smith needed to be “pulled aside and comforted” by Denzel Washington and Tyler Perry during a commercial break.
“Will and Chris, we’re going to solve that like family. Right now we’re moving on with love,” said Sean “Diddy” Combs,
presenting the next section.
