It should have been Oscar winner Will Smith's career defining night but an ill-thought out jibe from comedian Chris Rock sparked a reaction which no one could have seen coming.
Watched by millions around the globe and in front of a star studded audience he took to the stage to slap the comedian in the mouth - leaving stunned audiences open mouthed.
Will Smith then continued shouting at Rock from the audience, telling him repeatedly to get his wife’s name out of his mouth, along with expletives.
Since last night's unprecedented behaviour social media is awash with whether the outburst was in fact staged.
A closer look at slow motion footage could suggest Chris was expecting the strike and there was no involvement from security as he was allowed to return to the audience.
One user posted: ''Chris Rock grimacing for what he knows is coming. His hand barely grazed him.
''Actors, especially action actors like Will Smith, know how to pull a punch (or slap) This was staged.'
Another said: ''Will Smith and Chris Rock pulled off the work of the decade.. imagine believing this was real #FakeSlap'.
Another posted: ''It was fake though. Will Smith would not have slapped Chris Rock like that for real on live TV. Too much class. If you watch closely in slow motion, Chris braced for the slap before it even came. The probably got paid good for that though.''
A further added: 'The Oscars fiasco between Will Smith and Chris Rock was staged in order to get rating for next year but still no one watched this year and no one will watch next year either''
Chris Rock's derogatory comment which sparked the debacle made a joke about Will Smith’s Wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith, joking that he can’t wait to see her starring in “G.I. Jane 2”.
The jibe was in reference to her shaved head, a call back to the Demi Moore starring film from 1997 in which a shaved-head Demi joined the army.
Pinkett-Smith first revealed the information during her Red Table Talk series back in 2018.
She later posted: “Y’all know I’ve been struggling with alopecia and just all of a sudden one day, look at this line right here. Look at that.”
She continued, “So it just showed up like that and 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 are not asking any questions.”
But whether 'the slap' was staged or not, Smith, who moments later was awarded Best Actor, appeared shaken giving his acceptance speech, with tears in his eyes.
He did not apologize to Chris Rock, but did apologize to the Academy, saying that he hopes they invite him back.
Meanwhile Chris Rock declined to file a police report according to LAPD, reported Page Six.
