Awards shows are often at the centre of some sort of controversy and the Oscars certainly aren't immune. And so it has proved this year, as Will Smith took serious exception to a joke comedian Chris Rock made about his wife.
Rock, referring to Smith's wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s hair, said: “Jada, can’t wait for GI Jane 2.” Jada has previously opened up about her struggle with hair loss and alopecia. In an episode of her Facebook chat show, Red Table Talk, she said "handfuls of hair" came loose in the shower.
In what some initially thought might have been a pre-planned routine, Smith walked up on stage and hit Rock before returning to his seat and shouting: “Keep my wife’s name out of your ******* mouth.” Rock appeared shocked and flustered as he tried to resume presenting the best documentary feature category. He said: “That was the greatest night in the history of television.”
Will Smith later won the best actor award for King Richard, the American biographical sports drama film about the father and coach of famed tennis players Venus and Serena Williams. Accepting his best actor Oscar Smith apologised and said: “Richard Williams was a fierce defender of his family."
He added: “I want to apologise to the Academy, I want to apologise to all my fellow nominees. 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.”
He continued: “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 his family he added: “Thank you for this honour, thank you for this moment…I hope the Academy invites me back.”
What the Academy said
The Academy said it “does not condone violence of any form” following the altercation during the ceremony. It continued: “Tonight we are delighted to celebrate our 94th Academy Awards winners, who deserve this moment of recognition from their peers and movie lovers around the world.”
How Hollywood reacted
Will Smith’s son Jaden and Tennis star Serena Williams are among the stars who expressed both shock and support. Serena Williams shared a video on her Instagram story showing her looking shocked. In a second clip, the sportswoman admitted she “had to put her drink down”. Jaden Smith, 23, tweeted: “And That’s How We Do It” after his father’s on-stage altercation.
He later told his followers that his father’s acceptance speech had made him cry. Rapper 50 Cent shared a photo of the moment on Instagram and wrote: “B!tch don’t you ever play with me. LOL.” American late-night talk show host Conan O’Brien was among those making light of the situation, writing on Twitter: “Just saw the Will Smith slap. Anyone have a late night show I can borrow just for tomorrow?”
However, Smith’s actions also attracted criticism from members of the film industry. The Last Samurai producer Marshall Herskovitz urged the Academy to do more than simply issue a statement in response to the incident. He said on Twitter: “I call upon the Academy, of which I am a member, to take disciplinary action against Will Smith. He disgraced our entire community tonight.”
Hollywood star Mia Farrow tweeted: “It was just a joke. Jokes are what Chris Rock does. Always has been edgy. This was a mild joke for him. And I love GI Jane.” Referring to words from Smith’s acceptance speech, English actor Cary Elwes said: “The ‘vessels of love’ I have known or admired never acted violently against another human being…” One Tree Hill star Sophia Bush commented that “violence isn’t OK”.
She added: “Assault is never the answer. Also? This is the 2nd time that Chris has made fun of Jada on the #Oscar 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.”
Comedian Kathy Griffin suggested Smith’s actions set a bad precedent for her profession. She said on Twitter: “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.”
Will there be any legal action?
Will Smith is not facing arrest after Chris Rock declined to file a police report. That could, theoretically at least, change should Rock alter his decision.
A spokesman for Los Angeles Police Department said: “LAPD investigative entities are aware of an incident between two individuals during the Academy Awards programme. The incident involved one individual slapping another. The individual involved has declined to file a police report. If the involved party desires a police report at a later date, LAPD will be available to complete an investigative report.”
What the joke meant and why it was so upsetting
Last year Jada, 50, opened up about her decision to shave her head, after suffering from alopecia. GI Jane is an action movie from 1997 which stars Demi Moore as Jordan O'Neil. Jordan, in order to complete her tough training and to solidify her position as a Seal, shaves her head and becomes the titular GI Jane.
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 people 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." 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."
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. "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!"
