Will Smith Slaps Chris Rock On Stage, Later Wins Best Actor

Actor Will Smith went to the stage twice during the Oscar Awards event last Sunday. The last time was to receive his Best Actor trophy and deliver an emotional speech. The first was to slap host Chris Rock for making a joke about his wife.

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Unscripted Action During Oscar Awards

In a wild, highly charged scene during the presentation, Will Smith made an unplanned decision to walk up to the stage. Immediately, the actor slapped host Chris Rock then turned around to walk back to his seat. 

Rock, even though he was caught by Smith by surprise, managed to remain calm and keep his composure. He even managed to casually say that “Will Smith just smacked the s**t out of me.”

The live event’s microphones picked up Will Smith shouting “Keep my wife’s name out of your f***in mouth” before he settled back to his seat. Rock said,” That was the greatest night in the history of television.”

GI Jane Joke That Led To Incident

Smith’s outburst seemed to originate from a joke Rock made a few seconds before he went on stage.  Referencing Will Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett, who now sports a shaved head due to alopecia, Rock said that “Jada, love you, G.I. Jane 2, can’t wait to see it”.

He referred to a movie starring Demi Moore where she shaves her head. Even as Smith laughed at the joke, Pinkett-Smith rolled her eyes. Within seconds, Smith stormed the stage and slapped Rock, which left the comedian stunned.

Previously, Pinkett-Smith went on Instagram to explain why she shaved her head. “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,” she said. “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!” she added. 

In 2016, Rock also made a joke about the couple. That time, it was about their decision to boycott the Academy Awards for not nominating people of color in the major awards. “Jada Pinkett Smith boycotting the Oscars is like me boycotting Rihanna’s panties — I wasn’t invited!”

Will Smith Wins Best Actor Award

Later on, during the presentation of the major awards, Smith won the Best Actor award. Upon receiving the awards, the actor apologized to the Academy and fellow nominees.

He said he wasn’t crying for winning the award. He was crying because “it’s about being able to shine a light on all of the people.” 

Smith won the award over performances by Andrew Garfield, Benedict Cumberbatch, Denzel Washington, and Javier Bardem. He closed his speech by seemingly explaining his earlier actions.

“Love will make you do crazy things. … Being able to love and care for my mother, my family, my wife … Thank you for this honor, thank you for this moment. Thank you; hoping the academy invites me back.”

Chris Rock Won’t Press Charges

Asked if Chris Rock filed charges against Will Smith over the incident, the Los Angeles Police Department said no. The Oscar host decided to forgo filing a police report.

An LAPD spokesperson confirmed they are “aware of an incident between two individuals during the Academy Awards programme…[which] involved one individual slapping another”.

However, the Rock “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.”

Watch the Raf Productions unedited footage showing Will Smith punching Chris Rock:

What do you think about the Oscar incident where Will Smith slapped Chris Rock over a joke?

• Chris Rock should file assault charges. Otherwise, it means it’s okay for Best Actor winners to come up on stage and slap people they don’t like.
• The Oscar Awards should have kicked Will Smith out immediately after the incident. Instead, they gave him a Best Actor award.
• Don’t expect Will Smith to apologize directly to Rock. All standup comedians should now beware that cracking a joke over somebody in the audience can lead to an attack.
• Smith stood up for his wife, who couldn’t take a joke.

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What do you think about the incident where Will Smith slapped Chris Rock over a joke? Was this joke enough of an insult to warrant assaulting the host? Also, do you support Chris Rock’s decision not to file charges against Will Smith?

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