And they were worried about Kanye at the Grammys…
Leave it to Will Smith to reignite interest in the long-waning Oscars by squarely clocking one of its presenters in the face. In what might be the most titillating moment from the Academy’s 94th annual awards show, Best Actor nominee Will Smith interrupted Chris Rock’s monologue after the comedian seemingly made a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett.
Referencing Pinkett, Rock can be heard quipping, “Jada, I love you. GI Jane 2, can’t wait to see you,” after which the actress is seen rolling her eyes. Seemingly taking offence, Smith then makes his way on the stage before clipping Rock in the face. Just as surprised by the unexpected moment, Rock acknowledged the incident live, exclaiming “Will Smith just smacked the s*** out of me.”
Will Smith punches Chris Rock at the #Oscars.
“Keep my wife’s name out of your fucking mouth”
— Pop Base (@PopBase) March 28, 2022
While the Oscars usually orchestrate viral moments like these, Smith’s reaction is seemingly genuine, as the actor can later be heard yelling “Keep my wife’s name out your f***ing mouth,” to which Rock replied, “Wow… dude. It was a GI Jane joke.” In any case, the interaction marked perhaps the only surprise in an otherwise-textbook ceremony, with expected frontrunner Dune collecting the most gongs across most major technical categories.
In the moments after his punch, Smith can be seen being comforted by Denzel Washington and Tyler Perry, as the actor seemingly wipes away tears in a moment of consolation. While it’s not known whether the emotional moment was preempting his expected Oscar win or a result of his unexpected punch, Smith eventually took to the stage to accept the trophy for Best Actor for his work in King Richard.
In what appears to be a reference to his pre-win spat, Smith opened his acceptance speech with a few choice words, telling attendees at the Dolby Theatre that “Richard Williams was a fierce defender of his family.” Further referencing the moment, Smith took time to apologise, saying he “hope[s] the Academy invites me back.”
“Richard Williams was a fierce defender of his family…”
Will Smith accepts @TheAcademy Award for Best Actor in @KingRichardFilm.#Oscarshttps://t.co/EViXaQY1NZ pic.twitter.com/Od1w6n3t9B
— Good Morning America (@GMA) March 28, 2022
Peep the eye-popping moment above, and stay tuned for our additional Oscar coverage later this afternoon.
