Oscars 2022 wasn't devoid of any surprising moments. The main highlight saw Will Smith march on stage and slap Chris Rock after the comedian made a joke about the appearance of Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.
Will Smith slaps Chris Rock during Oscars [VIDEO]
Keep my wife’s name out of your *bleep* mouth - Smith to Rock
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The seemingly unscripted moment came when, before announcing the award for Best Documentary, Rock joked "Jada, I love ya. G.I. Jane 2, can't wait to see it."
When the camera pans over to the couple, Pinkett-Smith looks to have rolled her eyes. The joke was made after Pinkett Smith publicly revealed years ago that she was diagnosed with alopecia, and has continued to discuss her hair loss since.
Smith is then seen walking up to the stage, standing in front of Rock and hits the comedian in the face.
Everyone watching at home had the sound cut for several minutes after that point, with the sound coming back just to hear rock say, "that was the greatest night in the history of television."
But a clip reported to be the uncensored version shows a more serious confrontation. "Keep my wife’s name out of your f—king mouth," we hear Smith say in the clip. "Wow dude, it was a G.I. Jane joke," Rock responded.
While accepting his Award, Smith also made a tearful apology related to the events that had transpired earlier when he punched Chris Rock.
Holding back his tears, Smith said, "I want to apologize to the Academy. I want to apologize to all my fellow nominees. This is a beautiful moment and I’m not crying for winning an award. It’s not about winning an award for me."
Sticking with the altercation between the two, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) revealed Rock declined to file a police report.
“LAPD investigative entities are aware of an incident between two individuals during the Academy Awards program,’’ a statement from the LAPD reads.
‘’If the involved party desires a police report at a later date, LAPD will be available to complete an investigative report.”
Previous incidence
Pinkett Smith was also the subject of jokes from Rock when he hosted the Oscars in 2016.
She did not attend the Oscars that year, saying at the time her decision stemmed from a lack of diversity among award nominees and how Black artists were not properly represented.
“I’m hoping the Academy invites me back,” Will Smith said, as he concluded his on-stage remarks.
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