Nobody saw that coming. Earlier this evening, the 94th Academy Awards kicked off with an unforgettable performance from Beyoncé, who tapped her 10-year-old daughter Blue Ivy Carter to dance alongside her as she performed “Be Alive” from the King Richard soundtrack.
After some awards were handed out, audiences also saw artists like Megan Thee Stallion and Billie Eilish take to the stage to show off their vocal talents, although the most-talked-about part of the evening (so far, anyway) wouldn’t come until 57-year-old Chris Rock took to the stage to present to award for Best Documentary Feature.
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During his time on stage, the comedian took a moment to acknowledge Jada Pinkett Smith, who was rocking a shaved head to the Oscars, in the audience. “Jada, I love ya,” he began. “GI Joe 2, can’t wait to see it,” Rock continued, making an unfortunate joke at the actresses’ expense.
Jada was clearly left unimpressed by the Grown Ups actor’s comments, and while her husband Will was initially filmed laughing, within seconds, cameras caught him approaching the stage where Rock was standing, striking him across the face before turning back to his seat.
“Wow,” the South Carolina-born star said after the incident. “Will Smith just smacked the shit out of me.” As he was returning to his seat, the Gemini Man actor said, “Keep my wife’s name out your f*cking mouth.”
“Wow, dude. It was a G.I. Jane joke,” Rock defended himself, to which Smith once again said, “Keep my wife’s name out of your f*cking mouth.” As Deadline reports, the audience is said to have gone silent following the altercation.
According to a tweet from Scott Feinberg, when the broadcast cut to commercial, the I Am Legend star was comforted by industry legends Denzel Washington and Tyler Perry, who motioned for him to brush it off. “Will appears to wipe tears from his eyes as he sits back down with Jada, with Denzel comforting Jada and Will’s rep by his side,” the report continues.
Luckily, the evening turned around for Smith, who took home the award for Best Actor for his performance in King Richard – check out the speech for his first-ever Academy Award below, and let us know what you think about his decision to slap Chris Rock in the comment section.
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