The Oscars were back with a bang on Sunday night as Hollywood watched in horror as Will Smith smacked Chris Rock on stage over a joke he had made at his wife Jada Pinkett-Smith's expense.
The actor, 53, took aim at the comedian, 57, after he joked "Jada, can't wait for GI Jane 2" in reference to the talk show host's shaven head, with viewers theorising he was enraged because Jada, 50, suffers from alopecia.
Taking to Twitter, fans of the ceremony discussed the shocking moment with some speculating the whole thing was staged to boost ratings, while others suggested Chris had lost a 'slap-bet' with Will years ago.
One of the most popular theories was the smack was scripted to make the Oscars' viral, after the ceremony has plummeted in viewing figures.
The 94th Academy Awards returned with Hollywood's biggest stars after the pandemic made ratings hit a record-low of 10.5 million last year.
And many thought bosses planned for a big comeback and staged Best Actor winner Will having a bust-up with Chris, who was presenting the award for Best Documentary Feature.
Comedian Kevin T Porter suggested he was the one who scripted the row: "Hey I wrote that silly Chris Rock Will Smith slap bit. We knew we’d push some buttons but comedy is meant to provoke and make people think, I’m proud we did both those things tonight at #Oscars2022!"
While a viewer wrote: "Theory: the Will Smith and Chris Rock incident was staged…Now hear me out… the slap was real no doubt, but these are ACTORS. The Oscars ratings have tanked for the last few years now as people in general have no patience for overpaid celebrities stroking their own egos."
Another added: "Will Smith slap of Chris Rock was a scripted moment to boost #Oscars ratings."
"Conspiracy theory: the Will Smith/Chris Rock incident was planned by some covert secret Oscars group to generate buzz for the Oscars because no one gives a s**t about it anymore," a third chimed.
Meanwhile a different viewer wrote: "Conspiracy theory: following the Grammy’s historically low view count, the Oscars had Will Smith punch Chris Rock so that people would talk about the Oscars."
However some didn't think it was the case, with one fan hitting back: "Will Smith and Chris Rock are not gonna risk their reputations to help the Oscars get better ratings. That's an insane theory."
Others took to Twitter to suggest it was Jada who had prompted Will to get up on stage as Will had been filmed laughing at Chris' joke just moments before.
"My theory is that Will Smith's wife made him go up there and punch Chris Rock. You can see that Will Smith was laughing when it happened but his wife was dumbfounded. She must of said something to him off screen which prompted him to do that to Chris Rock," one viewer typed.
"My working theory is that Will Smith didn't realize the no-hair aspect of the GI Jane joke (maybe because he's never seen it and was just laughing out of respect?). Then Jada told him that's what Rock meant, and that's when he stormed on", theorised another.
Others suggested the slap was done to create discussion on Jada's talk show Red Table Talk as a viewer questioned: "Will Smith only slapped Chris Rock at the Oscar’s for Red Table Talk content purposes only".
Viewers also suggested the couple were fed up of being ripped into during awards ceremonies, with Will only recently hitting out at Rebel Wilson for quipping "I thought his best performance over the past year was being OK with all his wife’s boyfriends" at the BAFTAs earlier this month.
He said following the cutting joke: "There’s never been infidelity in our marriage. Jada and I talk about everything, and we have never surprised one another with anything, ever."
On Twitter, one viewer contemplated: "Ok so my theory is that Will and Jada Smith were mad about the open marriage joke, and poor Chris Rock caught some strays".
While another suggested: "Will spoke to Chris behind the scene prior to the show and asked him not to mention the Smiths Chris tested the waters and got checked".
A third typed: "My theory is that Chris Rock lost a slap-bet to Will Smith years ago, a-la How I Met Your Mother."
Back in October last year, Kayne West legally changed his name to Ye, and one suggested the rapper "secretly orchestrated the smack".
They wrote: "The Ye Theory: Ye secretly orchestrated the Will Smith Slap to drive a narrative."
Meanwhile, another suggested: "My theory is that Bill Gates put Will Smith up to it so we wouldn't focus on that and not that Bill buying a $40m house in an area that may be under water in a few decades proves that climate change isn't real."
Microsoft billionaire Bill purchased a six-bedroom, three-bathroom 5,800 square-foot home in San Diego in March 2020, with work to remodel the home only recently starting.
During his acceptance speech for Best Actor, King Richard star Will broke down in tears as he said: "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."
The Academy later released a statement saying it didn't condone violence. It read: "The Academy does not condone violence of any form," the organisation tweeted after the show ended on Sunday night.
"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."
