Jada Pinkett Smith looked furious as Chris Rock poked fun at her appearance, just moments before husband Will Smith leapt to her defence.
The jaw-dropping incident played out during the Oscars on Sunday, with Will hitting the headlines not for winning the Best Actor gong, but for smacking the comedian across the face.
As Chris delivered the punchline to his joke about Jada’s hair loss, the actress could be seen almost clenching her jaw, before rolling her eyes and sighing, with a furious look on her face.
The shocking incident played out during the Academy Awards on Sunday, when Chris took to the stage to present the award for Best Documentary.
In a quick monologue delivered before he announced the winner, the comedian turned his attention to Will and Jada, who were seated in front of the stage.
Pointing to the actress, he quipped: “Jada, I love ya. G.I. Jane 2, can't wait to see it.”
His joke referenced the headline-hitting transformation Demi Moore underwent in 1997, when she shaved her head to star as the titular character in Ridley Scott’s movie.
Will could be seen laughing at the joke, and even clapped his hands together in delight, suggesting he had seen the funny side of the gag.
“That was a nice one!” Chris exclaimed, trying to justify the joke about Jada, who suffers from alopecia.
But just a few seconds later, Will took to the stage to confront Chris, as the funnyman was heard saying “Uh oh” as he watched the actor approach him.
“Wow. Will Smith just smacked the s**t out of me,” Chris said in the moments after the assault.
“Keep my wife's name out your f***king mouth,” he shouted as he returned to his seat.
Chris has previously teased Will and Jada in his jokes, and as he hosted the 2016 Oscars, he took aim at their boycott of the ceremony over the lack of diversity.
“Jada boycotting the Oscars is like me boycotting Rihanna's panties. I wasn't invited! Oh, that's not an invitation I would turn down!” he quipped.
After the shocking incident, Chris tried to regain his composure, but appeared flustered after the assault.
The smack was not broadcast on television, but clips of the unaired footage has gone viral on social media.
“That was the greatest night in the history of television,” he said, just seconds after being hit in the face by Will.
During a break in the ceremony, Denzel Washington was seen comforting Jada and Will, while Bradley Cooper could be seen hugging the actor.
