Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Record
Daily Record
Entertainment
Kirsten McStay & Zara Woodcock

Chris Rock's GI Jane joke explained after Will Smith hit him in face at Oscars 2022

Will Smith left viewers of the Oscars 2022 speechless as he got up on to the stage and smacked comedian Chris Rock in the face.

The incident unfolded after the 57-year-old presenter made a joke about Jada Pinket Smith's shaved head.

He said: "Jada, can't wait for G.I. Jane 2."

But his joke wasn't found funny by all, and Jada's husband Will stormed on to stage and hit him across the face.

Will - who went on to win Best Actor later in the evening - went back to his seat and shouted: "Keep my wife's name out of your f****** mouth."

Will's wife Jada has previously opened up about her shaved head after suffering from alopecia, writes The Mirror.

But what does the G.I. Jane reference mean?

Will Smith smacks Chris Rock on stage at Oscars after Jada Pinkett Smith joke (REUTERS)

G.I. Jane

G.I. Jane is an action movie from 1997 which stars Demi Moore as the lead, Jordan O'Neil.

In the film, she is the first woman to go through Navy Seal training and even beats many of her male peers during it.

Jordan, in order to complete her tough training and to solidify her position as a Seal, shaves her head and becomes the titular G.I. Jane.

She ends up completely hiding away her femininity.

Demi's character's look led to Chris making a joke about Jada's buzzcut.

Following the shocking smack, Will returned to his seat and Chris looked dazed and stunned by what happened.

Demi Moore in G.I.Jane (Publicity Picture)

He attempted to act casual as he resumed his presenting role for the best documentary feature category.

“Wow, Will Smith just smacked the s**t out of me,” Chris joked with the audience.

He also said: "That was the greatest night in the history of television."

Later on in the evening, Will went on to win his first Oscar for his performance in King Richard and apologised on stage for his previous actions.

Previous joke about Jada

It wasn't the first time Chris made a joke about Jada during an Awards show.

Will and his wife Jada boycotted the Oscar Awards in 2016 as it was the second year in a row that no talent of colour were nominated.

While presenting, Chris previously said: "Jada Pinkett Smith boycotting the Oscars is like me boycotting Rihanna’s panties—I wasn’t invited!"

Will was caught yelling at the comedian after he returned to his seat (ABC / BACKGRID)

He added: "It’s not fair that Will was this good and didn’t get nominated. It’s also not fair that Will was paid $20 million for Wild Wild West !"

Jada's alopecia

Last year, Jada opened up about her struggles with alopecia, a condition that causes hair loss.

She took to social media to explain why she completely shaved her head.

"Now at this point, I can only laugh… y’all know I’ve been struggling with alopecia. Just all of a sudden, one day…it just showed up like that," she said.

The star has alopecia (jadapinkettsmith/Instagram)

"Now, this is going to be a little bit more difficult for me to hide. So, I thought I’d just share it so y’all not asking any questions…

"Mama’s gonna have to take it down to the scalp so nobody thinks she got brain surgery or something. Me and this alopecia are going to be friends … period!"

Get the latest celebrity gossip and telly news sent straight to your inbox. Sign up to our weekly Showbiz newsletter here .

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.