The gobsmacking moment came out of nowhere as Rock was onstage cracking jokes before handing out the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature. Making a comment about Jada Pinkett Smith being bald, Rock joked that she’d be starring in G.I. Jane 2 (a reference to Demi Moore’s 1997 drama G.I. Jane, in which she played a female soldier who shaved her head). “Jada, I love you," he said. “G.I. Jane 2, can’t wait to see it.” Pinkett Smith, who openly suffers fromalopecia, an autoimmune disorder that causes hair loss, rolled her eyes at the line, but didn’t otherwise react publicly. While her husband was seen on-camera initially laughing at the joke good-naturedly, a moment later, Smith strode onstage, walked up to Rock and appeared to smack him square in the jaw, then turned toe walked back to his seat. Twitter instantly lit up with questions as it seemed the sound on every TV set across the U.S. went out—which only left people wondering all the more whether what had just happened between Smith and Rock was a planned bit or real, and therefore censored. Neilson Barnard/Getty Images Keep reading for everything we know about what Will Smith said to Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars and why.
What did Will Smith say at the Oscars to Chris Rock?
Minutes after the bizarre moment occurred, clips started surfacing online from international broadcasts, which weren’t censored as the U.S. feed had been. Those clips made it clear exactly what Smith said to Rock—and that it wasn’t staged. Footage from alternate angles showed that after the open-hand smack, Rock didn’t reel back or stumble, but just said loudly in reaction, “Oh, wow!” Rock then clearly stated to the audience, “Will Smith just smacked the st out of me.” In response, Smith yelled loudly and angrily from his seat, “Keep my wife’s name out your fing mouth!” A stunned Rock replied, “Wow, dude! It was a G.I. Jane joke,” which prompted Smith to repeat even louder and more angrily, “Keep my wife’s name out your f**ing mouth!!!” “I’m going to,” Rock said calmly before carrying on. Shaking his head, Rock tried to keep the show moving, telling the crowd, “That was, uh … the greatest night in the history of television.” He was still out of sorts when he moved on to present the Best Documentary award, stuttering, “So we’re here to give a documentary out—to give an Oscar out for Best Documentary.” He then presented the award to Questlove for Summer of Soul. (Backstage in the Oscars press room minutes later, the Roots drummer refused to speak about Smith and Rock’s snafu.) Rapper, producer and actor Diddy proved he’s a hundred times more talented than he gets credit for when he took the stage after Smith and Rock’s shocking scuffle and offered a verbal olive branch to both parties. “I did not know that this year was going to be the most exciting Oscars ever,” he joked. “OK, Will and Chris, we’re gonna solve that like family at the Gold Party,” he said, referencing Beyoncé’s post-Oscar soiree. “But right now, we’re moving on with love!”
What did Will Smith say in his Oscars speech?
While accepting his first-ever Best Actor Oscar for King Richard, Smith noted how much he admired Richard Williams for “protecting his family.” “I know to do what we do you have to be able to take abuse to be able to have people talk crazy about you, to have people disrespecting you, you have to smile and pretend like that’s OK. But Richard Williams, and what I loved—Denzel [Washington] said to me, ‘At your highest moment, be careful, that’s when the devil comes for you.’” He got an applause break at that poignant and pointed line. You can actually see some of that moment with Washington play out in the clip below, which was filmed inside L.A.’s Dolby Theater during a commercial break—Tyler Perry and Bradley Cooper also spoke with Smith: Smith continued in his speech, “It’s like, I wanna be a vessel for love. I wanna say thank you to Venus and Serena—I hope they didn’t see that on TV. I wanna be an ambassador that kind of love, and care and concern. I wanna apologize to the Academy, to all my fellow nominees.” He continued, “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 light on all of the people…the entire cast and crew of King Richard, Venus and Serena, the entire Williams family. Art imitates life, I look like the crazy father just like they said about Richard Williams! But love will make you do crazy things.” “To my mother, a lot of this moment is really complicated for me,” he said, joking about her being home at her knitting group. “My family, my wife, thank you for this honor. Thank you for this moment, and thank you on behalf of Richard and the entire Williams family. Thank you, and I hope the Academy invites me back!”
What did Anthony Hopkins say about Will Smith and Chris Rock’s fight?
While presenting the Best Actress Award several minutes later, Oscar winner Anthony Hopkins urged everyone to move on from the Smith-Rock moment. “Well, what an evening! Will Smith said it all. What more can be said? Let’s have peace and love and quiet.” Preach!
Does Jada Pinkett Smith have issues with Chris Rock?
It wasn’t the first time Rock mocked Pinkett Smith. In 2016, one of the years Rock hosted the Oscars, she boycotted the ceremony for its lack of diversity. He cracked onstage (via Variety), “Jada got mad, said she’s not coming. Jada boycotting the Oscars is like me boycotting Rihanna’s panties. I wasn’t invited. You get mad. 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.”
Could Will Smith get arrested for what he did to Chris Rock?
While everyone on social media is sharing opinions about whether what Smith did constituted criminal assault, the LAPD released a statement in which they said that Rock declined to file a police report over the incident, which means Smith getting arrested is highly unlikely. Some viewers also thought Smith should at least have been made to leave the Dolby Theater after the slap took place; not only did he stay and accept his Best Actor Oscar to a standing ovation, but he seemingly left of his own accord after the show ended without ever appearing in the backstage Oscars press room, as winners customarily do.
Did Will Smith and Chris Rock make up after the Oscars?
According to Diddy, Rock and Smith made amends post-show. “That’s not a problem. That’s over. I can confirm that,” Diddy told Page Six, though he declined to elaborate further on the incident. “It’s all love. They’re brothers.” However, that same outlet has also reported that, according to an unnamed source, “Will and Chris didn’t get to clear the air after the incident–Chris left the Oscars ceremony immediately and went to [an afterparty at] Guy Oseary’s house.”
Celebrity Reactions to Will Smith and Chris Rock
In addition to the stars who addressed the incident on the Oscars stage, other celebrities also spoke out about the incident on Twitter and in the audience of the show—which, of course, Twitter was quick to meme. Smith’s family members were shocked at the display. His mother, 85-year-old Carolyn Smith, told Philadelphia’s 6ABC News, “He is a very even, people person. That’s the first time I’ve ever seen him go off. First time in his lifetime… I’ve never seen him do that.” She added, “I know how he works, how hard he works." When asked how she felt when he won his Oscar for King Richard, she said, “I’ve been waiting and waiting and waiting. When I heard the name, I was just, ‘Yes!’ I am proud of him for being him.” Ellen Smith, Will’s younger sister, told the outlet, “I’ve had conversations with him, and it like really kind of broke my heart listening to the things he’s said he had to go through to get to where he is.” In terms of other celebrities, the responses were mixed. Lupita Nyong’o, seated at Smith’s table, appeared horrified. Serena Williamsposted a series of Instagram stories after the incident explaining her shock. Smith’s son Jaden tweeted, “And that’s how we do it.” Tiffany Haddish told PEOPLE of the viral moment, “When I saw a Black man stand up for his wife. That meant so much to me. As a woman, who has been unprotected, for someone to say, ‘Keep my wife’s name out your mouth, leave my wife alone,’ that’s what your husband is supposed to do, right? Protect you. And that meant the world to me,” she continued. “And maybe the world might not like how it went down, but for me, it was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen because it made me believe that there are still men out there that love and care about their women, their wives.” She added that Rock is a friend of the Smiths, noting, “Why would you do that? He didn’t even run the joke by her, but she was hurt though. If she wouldn’t have been hurt, [Will] probably wouldn’t have said nothing. But you could see he was clearly… And they exploited it. They exploited her, so ‘I have to do something’… He protected his wife.” Trevor Noah tweeted, “Wtaf????? That wasn’t scripted?????” “Many people, especially kids, look up to actors,” George Takei tweeted. “Because of that, we have an obligation to try to be good role models. With celebrity comes responsibility.” Maria Shriver tweeted, “#WillSmith says he wants to be a vessel for love. Love is not violent. Love is not what was displayed on a global stage tonight.” Margaret Josephs wrote, “Wow so disappointed in Will Smiths behavior tonight. @chrisrock is a class act he handled himself with true professionalism. Amazing the way he kept it moving#Oscar.” “Just saw the Will Smith slap,” Conan O’Brien tweeted. “Anyone have a late night show I can borrow just for tomorrow?” Judd Apatow tweeted (then deleted), “He could have killed him. That’s pure out of control rage and violence. They’ve heard a million jokes about them in the last three decades. They are not freshman [sic] in the world of comedy. He lost his mind.” He encountered criticism for racial, sexist and homophobic undertones of subsequent tweets about the incident, which he also deleted. Taika Waititi and Jason Bateman were among stars in a viral photo after the incident. Cary Elwes tweeted, “The ‘vessels of love’ I have known or admired never acted violently against another human being…” “At your highest moment …be careful that’s when the devil tries to come for you,” Cardi B wrote, referencing what Washington told Smith. 50 Cent wrote, “B!tch don’t you ever play with me. LOL.” “Violence isn’t ok. Assault is never the answer,” Sophia Bush wrote. Also? This is the 2nd time that Chris has made fun of Jada on the #Oscars 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." “It was just a joke. Jokes are what Chris Rock does,” Mia Farrow wrote in defense of Rock. “Always has been edgy. This was a mild joke for him. And i love GI Jane.” Kathy Griffin tweeted, “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.” Joel Kim Booster tweeted, “Will Smith slapping Chris Rock is straight people’s Adele Dazeem.” Abbott Elementary creator and star Quinta Brunson wrote, “what a very west Philly Oscars.” “Never thought the La La land debacle would ever be eclipsed but here we are,” Natasha Rothwell joked.
Audience Reactions to Will Smith and Chris Rock
The Internet went absolutely nuts after the incident, between viewers trying to figure out what happened and others just living for the drama.
Can Will Smith lose his Oscar after slapping Chris Rock?
It doesn’t seem likely that Smith will have to forsake his Oscar for the smack heard ‘round the world, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences tweeted late Sunday, “The Academy does not condone violence of any form. 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.” The official code of conduct for the Academy, which was reintroduced following the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements, reads (via Variety), “In addition to achieving excellence in the field of motion picture arts and sciences, members must also behave ethically by upholding the Academy’s values of respect for human dignity, inclusion, and a supportive environment that fosters creativity … There is no place in the Academy for people who abuse their status, power or influence in a manner that violates recognized standards of decency. The Academy is categorically opposed to any form of abuse, harassment or discrimination on the basis of gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, disability, age, religion, or nationality. The Board of Governors believes that these standards are essential to the Academy’s mission and reflective of our values.” According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Academy’s board of governors held an emergency call regarding the Smith situation. Insiders told the outlet that it’s unlikely that they would ever revoke his historic Oscar win for Best Actor, but that sanctions of some kind are possible, including suspension of his Academy membership. Next, find out five things you never knew about Will Smith!
