Will Smith stormed the Oscars stage and hit comedian Chris Rock on 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, 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. Jada Pinkett Smith, who is also an actress, suffers from alopecia, and publicly revealed her diagnosis in 2018. According to The Hollywood Reporter’s Scott Feinberg, in attendance, a tearful Smith needed to be pulled aside and comforted by Denzel Washington and Tyler Perry during a commercial break.
