The fallout from Will Smith's altercation with Chris Rock at Sunday's Oscars is still rumbling on. The star-studded audience and people watching across the world were left stunned when the Fresh Prince and Men In Black actor walked up on stage a struck comedian Rock in the face.
The actor took to the stage at the 94th Academy Awards over the weekend and slapped Rock across the face, following a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith and her hair loss. Rock said: "Jada, can’t wait for GI Jane 2," prompting the actress to roll her eyes. Red Table Talk host Pinkett Smith has previously spoken about her struggles with alopecia and said it is what prompted her to shave her head.
Smith was soon seen walking up on stage and appeared to hit Rock in the face in front of the star-studded audience at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. He then returned to his seat before shouting twice: "Keep my wife’s name out of your f****** mouth," as a flustered and clearly stunned Rock tried to resume presenting the best documentary feature category.
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Smith later returned to the stage to accept the award for best actor for his performance in King Richard, and gave an emotional speech about the importance of protecting family.
Days after the incident, Rock has now said he is "still processing" his altercation with Will Smith at the Oscars but will talk about it "at some point". He referenced the incident at a stand-up show and promised that when he did comment officially it would be "serious and funny".
Addressing audiences at the top of his show in Boston, Rock said: "How was your weekend? I don’t have a bunch of shit about what happened, so if you came to hear that, I have a whole show I wrote before this weekend. I’m still kind of processing what happened. So, at some point I’ll talk about that sh*t. And it will be serious and funny."
Rock was reportedly given a standing ovation by his audience before kicking off his set. It comes as the Academy revealed that Smith was asked to leave the 94th annual awards show after the incident, but refused.
The organisation said the best actor winner’s actions were "shocking" and "traumatic" to witness live on television as it apologised to Rock, praising his "resilience in that moment".
"Things unfolded in a way we could not have anticipated,” the Academy said in a statement. While we would like to clarify that Mr Smith was asked to leave the ceremony and refused, we also recognise we could have handled the situation differently."
"Mr Smith’s actions at the 94th Oscars were a deeply shocking, traumatic event to witness in-person and on television,” the academy said. "Mr Rock, we apologise to you for what you experienced on our stage and thank you for your resilience in that moment. We also apologise to our nominees, guests and viewers for what transpired during what should have been a celebratory event."
A formal review into the incident has been launched to discuss what disciplinary measures will be taken, and Smith will reportedly be given the chance to provide a written defence. The Academy said disciplinary action for Smith could include suspension, expulsion or other sanctions.
