Will Smith slaps comedian Chris Rock on Oscar stage over jokes about his wife

The best Actor in a Drama category for King Richard at the 2022 Oscars, Will Smith stormed the Oscars stage and struck comedian Chris Rock across the face for joking about his wife, in a moment at Sunday’s gala that immediately went viral and left stunned viewers questioning if it had been scripted or genuine.

Rock was presenting the best documentary prize with a short comedy routine, had cracked a joke comparing Jada Pinkett Smith’s tightly cropped hair to Demi Moore’s appearance in the film “G.I. Jane” and suggesting she appear in a sequel.

In a moment that triggered awkward silence and confusion in the Dolby Theatre, Smith strode up to Rock and slapped him, before returning to his seat alongside Jada and shouting profanities.

“Keep my wife’s name out of your fucking mouth,” yelled Smith, forcing the producers to bleep out several seconds of audio from the televised broadcast in the United States.

Pinkett Smith, who is also an actress, suffers from alopecia, and publicly revealed her diagnosis in 2018.

A tearful Smith was “pulled aside and comforted” by Denzel Washington and Tyler Perry during a commercial break.

“Will and Chris, we’re going to solve that like family. Right now we’re moving on with love,” said Sean “Diddy” Combs, presenting the next section.

Meanwhile, Will Smith has apologised to the organizers of the awards ceremony. He explained that smacking Chris Rock was out of love for his wife who was embarrassed publicly.

Will during his acceptance speech for his award said, “I want to apologise to the Academy and my fellow nominee.”