In perhaps what will be known as the most memorable Oscars moment for years to come, Will Smith has had his name on the tip of everyone's tongue in the last few hours after slapping host Chris Rock across the face. Shortly before scooping up the award for Best Actor, Will delivered the physical blow after Chris made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith.
The roasting host was making jokes about various famous faces in attendance, when he decided to roast Jada, who has alopecia. The unbelievable situation unfolded when Chris referenced Jada's buzzcut, joking: "Jada, can't wait for GI Jane 2."
Although he was laughing when Chris first delivered the quip, Will's reaction quickly soured. In front of the galaxy of stars in attendance, Will stormed onto the stage and slapped Chris, before shouting: "Keep my wife's name out of your f***ing mouth."
Since the altercation went viral, with plenty of people who didn't watch last night's Oscars waking up to the world talking about it on social media, other famous faces have weighed in with their thoughts. In classic Goddess of Pop fashion, Cher shared an anecdote with fans, which revealed that she did not actually see the infamous slap.
The 'Believe' singer wrote: "WENT OUT OF RM & MISSED REASON FOR WILL’S PUNCH..JUST SAW IT, BUT STILL NOT SURE WHY."
She then followed up by saying: "Haters FK U. Everyone Is So Ready To Pounce. Does Anyone In Their Right Mind Think 'I' WOULDN’T HAVE SAID SOMETHING. HAD I KNOWN (Me Of All Ppl)."
50 Cent has made playful comments about the situation. The 'In Da Club' rapper Tweeted a picture of Will slapping Chris, with the caption: "B**ch don’t you ever play with me. LOL".
He then wrote: "You have to win Oscars to do this kinda sh*t. after i win i’m gonna slap the sh*t out of a few people. LOL"
Meanwhile, director Zack Bornstein took a serious approach to the altercation. After initially writing: "BREAKING: Will Smith Being Sent to Live with Aunt and Uncle in Bel-Air", the Saturday Night Live writer said: "If you had any doubts about America’s priorities, we just witnessed a man commit assault on live TV, and then 15 minutes later give him our highest honor of excellence."
One Tree Hill actress Sophia Bush did not find the incident funny, either. Although she said the joke was 'cruel', Sophia pointed out that violence is never needed.
She wrote: "Violence isn’t ok. Assault is never the answer. Also? This is the 2nd time that Chris has made fun of Jada on the #Oscars stage, & tonight he went after her alopecia."
"Punching down at someone’s auto-immune disease is wrong. Doing so on purpose is cruel. They both need a breather."
Also read:
What Chris Rock's GI Jane joke about Jada meant and why it was so upsetting
Sophia then added: "For people asking if her alopecia is public knowledge? Yes. She 1st spoke about it in 2018. She’s been open about it since & the Smiths/Rock have a long-overlapping circle.
"Hitting him was not okay. AND his “joke” was cruel & personal. All of it, awful."
Comedian Kathy Griffin has appeared to take Chris' side, and has expressed her concern towards potential copycat incidents. Kathy said: "Let me tell you something, it’s a very bad practice to walk up on stage and physically assault a Comedian. Now we all have to worry about who wants to be the next Will Smith in comedy clubs and theaters."
Later on in the evening, after scooping his first ever Oscar for his portrayal of Richard Williams in the film King Richard, Will said: "This is a beautiful moment and I'm not crying for winning an award, it's not about winning an award for me, it's about being able to shine a light on all of the people.
"Art imitates life, I look like the crazy father, just like they said about Richard Williams. But love will make you do crazy things.
After paying tribute to his mother and other members of his family, Will added: "Thank you for this honour, thank you for this moment...I hope the Academy invites me back."
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