It was definitely one of the most talked about moments of the ceremony, but not for the right reasons. This Sunday, shortly before presenting the winner of the Oscar 2022 for best documentary, Chris Rock was slapped on stage at the Dolby Theater by Will Smith, after hearing an unfortunate joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith..
Jade, I love you… G.I. Jane 2I can’t wait to see her,” said the comedian, referring to the movie that Demi Moore starred in 1997, in which she shaved her head to enter the US Navy.. The cameras quickly took Smith’s reaction, who hinted at a smile at the “joke” about Pinkett-Smith’s alopecia; However, the actress did not hesitate to show her displeasure in the face of humor. What came later was the irruption of the Oscar-winning actor for his work in King Richard: A Winning Family to punch Rock in the face.
Although many believed that it was a comedy step of dubious taste, the climate became tense when the presenter tried to humor the situation – “Will Smith hit me with a beating flower” – and his colleague, already back to his seat began to shout loudly: “Keep my wife’s name out of your fucking mouth” (“Keep my wife’s name out of your fucking mouth”). The expression on Smith’s face, which could not hide an evident fury, upset those present, who at that moment understood that what had happened was no joke, and that the actor had really hit the presenter.
The evening went on as usual, and when Sean Combs took the stage next to pay tribute to The Godfather, the musician expressed: “Will and Chris, we are going to solve all this as a family. Let’s move forward and work things out with love.” On the other hand, and during the commercial break, some filming recorded Denzel Washington and Tyler Perry containing Smith, to the side of the stage.
A few minutes later, receiving his Oscar for best actor, a noticeably shaken Smith made it clear that his had not been humorous, but had been carried away by his anger. “Richard Williams was a fierce defender of his family. At this point in my life, I am overwhelmed by what God is asking me to do and be. They are calling me in life to love people, to protect people, and I know that when we do what we do, people talk crazy things about us, they disrespect us, and that in the face of that we must smile and pretend that everything is fine”. Later, she added: “I want to apologize to the Academy, to all the nominees in my category, this is a beautiful moment, and I’m not crying about the award, it’s about shedding light on people. I look like a crazy father, as Richard Williams was called, but love makes you do crazy things. Thank you and I hope the academy invites me again”.
Minutes after the ceremony ended, the Hollywood Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences could not ignore the subject and made a brief indirect allusion to the subject on its Twitter account: “The Academy does not condone violence in any form. Tonight we are delighted to celebrate the winners of the 94th Academy Awards, who deserve this moment of recognition from their peers and film lovers around the world.”.