Will Smith shocked the room by approaching the stage and slapping presenter Chris Rock in the face after the comedian made a joke about Smith’s wife, actor Jada Pinkett Smith.
Rock was on the Oscars stage presenting the category for best documentary. He began by making a few jokes about the audience members, including Pinkett Smith, referring to her as “G.I. Jane” due to her closely cropped hair. (Pinkett Smith has spoken in the past about her battle with alopecia.) Shortly after he made the joke, Smith walked to the stage and slapped Rock across the face. He then returned to his seat and shouted, “Keep my wife’s name out of your fucking mouth.”
At first, watching the telecast, it was unclear whether the assault was a planned bit. But the show’s audio immediately cut out after Smith slapped Rock, then stayed muted as Rock said “Will Smith just smacked the shit out of me” while Smith walked away. Smith then returned to his seat and shouted, “Keep my wife’s name out of your fucking mouth!”
“Wow, dude,” replied Rock “It was a G.I. Jane joke.”
Rock went on to present the documentary prize to Summer of Soul director Questlove. Immediately after, Sean “Diddy” Combs came onstage to introduce a clip montage celebrating the 50th anniversary of The Godfather. “I didn’t know that this year was going to be the most exciting Oscars ever!” he said. “Okay, Will, Chris—we’re going to solve that like family. But right now, we’re moving on with love.”
Per Vanity Fair’s Rebecca Ford, Denzel Washington pulled Smith to the side for a conversation after the exchange, kneeling alongside Pinkett Smith when the show returned from the commercial break. Tyler Perry also joined Washington and Smith during the commercial break. The Smiths, per Ford, have been holding hands since the assault occurred.
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